When I wrote, yesterday, that West Australian premier Mark McGowan is an elected dictator, dancing to the tune of his paymasters in Beijing, I worried that I was being hyperbolic.
If anything, it appears that I was being cautious.
Performers from regions annexed by China have been barred from appearing at venues owned by the Western Australian government.
So, not content with funnelling millions to alleged Chinese Communist Party front groups in WA, and banning Christians from state-owned venues, McGowan is adopting his own, wannabe versions of the “Three Ts” policy.
I wonder, how long before Taylor Swift’s clothing line is banned in WA? Will McGowan blacklist Bjork, Elton John, Maroon 5 and Linkin Park, too?
Any event linked to the likes of Taiwan or Tibet would be prohibited from hiring most of Perth’s major performance venues under a policy prepared this year by the Perth Theatre Trust.
The policy, which has also been used to bar the Australian Christian Lobby from renting venues across WA, prohibits bookings from organisations “identifying with countries whose political status is unclear or in dispute”.
“This includes countries which have been annexed, occupied or have otherwise declared their independence,” it says.
McGowan knows his state — long an economic underperformer, given its vast resources — would probably be bankrupt without China’s money. He’s not about to let anyone bark at the hand that feeds him.
The hire policy drew a furious response from ethnic groups and foreign policy experts, who said it appeared to be aimed at appeasing China. WA Premier Mark McGowan has been an outspoken advocate for China, by far WA’s biggest trading partner, and has criticised the federal government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison over their handling of Australia’s relationship with the superpower[…]
Michael Shoebridge, the director of defence, strategy and national security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the policy appeared to be squarely aimed at Taiwan, despite engagement with the country being aligned with Australia’s position.
He said if there was increased sensitivity to cultural performances, it should be aimed at Chinese state-directed events that are a “clear” part of China’s plans to build influence in Australia[…]
Last year, the Perth Theatre Trust apologised to the Chinese government after it allowed the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe to perform at the State Theatre Centre.
China has no shortage of grovelling apologists, way out west. From toadying politicians to greedy businessmen, who happily turn a blind eye and take the cash from the world’s most notorious human rights abuser and slave-labour state.
Spokespeople for groups representing Uyghurs, Tibet and Taiwan describe WA’s policy as “abhorrent”.
Clive Hamilton, a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University and author of Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, said the policy reflected the “unseemly” relationship between China and WA’s political and business leaders.
“I would bet my bottom dollar that the Perth Theatre Trust has been pressured by a Chinese entity in adopting that policy,” he said. “It amounts to a violation of the principle of artistic independence and it’s the type of thing that should never take place in Australia.”
The Australian
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