A winner of reality TV show Survivor who has written a book depicting a Chinese invasion of Australia has won the right to represent the Liberal Party in the contest for a federal WA seat.
Mark Wales has gained Liberal preselection for the Perth seat of Tangney, where more than 16 per cent of residents identify as ethnic Chinese.
However, his authorship of an upcoming novel is courting controversy, as it depicts a civil war in Australia following an invasion by Chinese forces.
Speaking after his preselection, the former SAS soldier said his book Outrider would come out later this year, and he did not think it would be controversial.
“Oh yeah, I’ll go ahead with it,” he said.
“I spent a lot of a time with the editor going through the book in advance and we had this concern in mind, so I’m totally confident with it.”
He said the Chinese invasion wasn’t the main point of the novel.
“It’s a minor plot point, it’s in the background — the bigger story’s about a father and a son,” he said.
“I’m totally confident that it’s a minor part of the story and it’ll be totally fine once it’s released.”
Mr Wales said he would be focusing his campaign on issues discussed at the preselection meeting in suburban Bentley.
“Everything from cost of living, energy security, economic security, defence,” he said.
“[There’s] a lot of concern out there, and I think there’s a lot we can do as a party to turn around.”
Asked if the preselection process was tougher than Survivor, which he won in 2022, Mr Wales replied: “Way tougher, yeah, yeah, way tougher!”
“A much bigger audience than what I was used to,” he said.
“They’re all genuine people with real concerns and once I was chatting with them, I got a real understanding of the depth of what they are considering when they look for a candidate.”
The president of WA’s Chung Wah Association, Ting Chen, was less confident the book would be met with a positive reception
He said how Chinese people might be depicted in the novel was likely to concern voters in Tangney.
“The preselection of Mr Mark Wales shows the ignorance and the arrogance of the decision-makers of the Liberal Party,” he said.
“Ignorant of how the voters of Tangney think about a candidate who fantasised a war with our largest trading partner.
“Our community wants peace, more trade, not war.”
The current member for Tangney is Labor’s Sam Lim, a former police officer and a surprise winner over Ben Morton in 2022, seizing a seat once considered blue-ribbon Liberal territory.
Mr Lim was born in Malaysia, and his knowledge of 10 languages held significant appeal in the culturally diverse seat.
Mr Chen said while people of Chinese descent didn’t vote as a bloc, Mr Wales’ novel could play negatively for him during the campaign.
“During COVID we faced discrimination in WA and therefore we are fighting for a better, harmonious society in our state,” he said.
“I hope the election will be a contest of who can be a better representative for Tangney.”
Mr Chen added he was prepared to meet Mr Wales to discuss the novel.
“I am open to discuss, and to express our concern about his book,” he said.
About 250 people attended the Liberal preselection meeting, with 175 of them voting.
Mr Wales won a clear majority, with no requirement for preferences to be considered.
Two of the candidates who had been considered frontrunners for the Liberal nomination, Sean Ayres and Howard Ong, said they would support Mr Wales in the federal election.
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