Australian Election: Chinese-born candidates aim to boost diversity in parliament

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The choice of candidates in this month's Australian federal elections is starting to better reflect the country's multicultural population. That's especially true in one Melbourne electorate, where the winner of a contest for a Lower House seat is guaranteed to make history. CGTN's correspondent Greg Navarro explains.

An early polling station in the Melbourne electorate of Chisholm looks like any other found across Australia. Filled with some of the more than 3 million Australians expected to cast their votes before election day this year. The difference here can be found outside of the polling station where Labor candidate Jennifer Yang and Liberal candidate Gladys Liu are making history.

JENNIFER YANG AUSTRALIAN LABOR CANDIDATE "I think certainly the federal parliament hasn't reflected the modern Australian, that's my personal view."

Because both women - Chinese-born migrants - are running against each other for a seat in the country's Lower House.

JENNIFER YANG AUSTRALIAN LABOR CANDIDATE "As a first generation migrants, challenge and opportunity for so many other first generation are migrants here in Australia."

Liu wasn't willing to talk with us on camera. She was born in Hong Kong, moved to Australia in the 1990s, and has worked as a speech pathologist and business owner.

Yang, who was born in Taiwan and emigrated here in 2001, served as a local mayor.

Together, they represent a wave of candidates that are beginning to better reflect one of the most multicultural societies in the world.

GREG NAVARRO MELBOURNE "The problem hasn't been a lack of ethnic voters. This seat where we are is one of the most culturally diverse in the country where almost half of all of the people living here were born overseas, and about 20% are of Chinese descent."

The issue has been who has represented voters in Parliament - mostly older Australian-born men. The country is now home to about 1.2 million Australians of Chinese heritage.

"We are happy to see that the Chinese they step into the political society."

"I think the Chinese will give me, give us more opportunities. We will have more opportunities for working, for everything."

Yang says she is well away of the pressures that come with being labelled as an ethnic candidate.

JENNIFER YANG AUSTRALIAN LABOR CANDIDATE "When people keep pulling out my ethnicity, certainly I felt like why would people see that as something different? So it didn't really bother me, but I did start to realise that people see me a little differently than I see myself in this role."

But like many people in this diverse electorate, she is also optimistic about the changing face of Australia's government, one that better reflects the people it represents.

JENNIFER YANG AUSTRALIAN LABOR CANDIDATE "Really it isn't about why it has taken this long, it is better to say what can we achieve from this point onwards."

And Yang says she hopes she and her opponent prompt more people from diverse backgrounds to follow the same path.

Greg Navarro, CGTN, Melbourne.