Ernest Wong

Ernest Kwok Chung Wong is an Australian politician who was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 2013 to 2019.

Ernest Wong
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
24 May 2013 (2013-05-24) – 23 March 2019
Preceded byEric Roozendaal
Personal details
Borncirca 1960
Hong Kong
Political partyAustralian Labor Party (2005–present)
Other political
affiliations		Unity Party (2003–2005)
Spouse(s)Rita Lee
Children2
Alma materMacquarie University

Personal and early life

Ernest Wong was born in Hong Kong and studied at Wah Yan College, Kowloon, a prestigious Roman Catholic secondary school for boys. Run by the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus, it was the first English-speaking college in Kowloon.[1]

Wong migrated to Australia in 1979 to continue his studies, finishing year 12 at Sydney Boys High School and he graduated with a degree in commerce and law from Macquarie University.[2] Wong is married with two children and is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.[3]

Prior to his appointment to the Legislative Council of New South Wales, Wong was an active member of the community including the Lions Club, the Westmead Medical Research Foundation, sporting clubs and aged care advocacy groups.

Political career

Local government

Wong has a long history of engagement with the community, in particular, vulnerable groups. He established the Special Children Service Centre in 2008 to assist children of diverse cultural backgrounds with intellectual impairment and has been appointed Life Honorary President of the charitable organisation.[4] He continues to be an advisor to several aged care/nursing homes and had acted as a Director on the board of the Westmead Hospital Medical Research Foundation for seven years before he was elected to the NSW Parliament.[5]

Before Wong was elected to the NSW Legislative Council,[6] he worked on several political and community platforms. He served on the Burwood Council,[7] including terms as Mayor[8] and Deputy Mayor,[9] elected on Unity Party tickets from 2000. Unity Party was a small multicultural political party founded in 1997 with the aim of opposing the rise of controversial anti-immigration politician Pauline Hanson.[8] In his first year as an elected councillor on the Burwood Council, Wong established the very first Multicultural Committee and subsequently chaired several council committees such as the Sandakan Committee, Access Committee, Business Centre Steering Committee and the Safety Committee.[10] At the 2003 NSW state election, Wong headed a multicultural upper house ticket for the Unity Party.[11]

Subsequently, in 2005, Wong joined the Labor Party. He was an upper house candidate for Labor in the 2011 NSW state election, placed eighth on the party ticket; and has served as the citizenship advisor to the Premier of New South Wales and as a community relations advisor to Labor.[12]

New South Wales State Parliament

At a special joint sitting of the New South Wales Legislative Council and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly held on 23 May 2013, Wong was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in the council, following the resignation of former Labor treasurer Eric Roozendaal who was suspended from the Labor Party in November 2012.[13]

A strong advocate for social justice and equality in a culturally diverse Australia, Wong's areas of policy interest include community development, equal opportunity and social harmony. Multiculturalism and anti-discrimination are two particular areas of political discourse in his narrative.[14]

He serves on various parliamentary committees, including the Select Committees on The Impact of Gambling and Human Trafficking in New South Wales.[15] His speeches include "Poverty in Australia", "Depression" and "Social Enterprise Initiative".[16] Currently, he is pursuing an inquiry in the NSW Upper House to end homelessness in NSW. In addition, Wong has been very vocal on the Japanese imperial invasion of China during the Second World War, delivering numerous speeches related to the war and comfort women.[16]

In May 2017, Wong was one of three Labor MPs to vote with the Liberal Party and National Party to block a bill to decriminalise abortion in the state.[17] He also voted down other bills such as NSW Parliament bill to legalise same-sex marriage in 2014[18] and the assisted dying bill in parliament in November 2017.[19]

Wong has been reported as a prolific fundraiser for the Labor Party through his association with Huang Xiangmo, a billionaire with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party.[20][21] In June 2018 it was reported that Australian security agencies detected that Wong was being cultivated by Chinese government intelligence operatives as part of a long-term operation.[22]

In 2018 it was reported that Wong had been removed from a winnable position on the Labor Party Upper House ticket for the 2019 state election. He did not contest the 2019 state election.

Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry

Post his political career, in 2019 Wong appeared before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption public inquiry into allegations concerning political donations, the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), members of Chinese Friends of Labor and others. Wong was accused of giving false evidence under oath to the inquiry, including details of how Labor received funds following a 2015 fundraising event. At the centre of allegations ICAC put to Wong was that he had secured a donation from Huang Xiangmo, who, as a property developer, was banned from making political donations;[23][24] and that Wong had engaged in a scheme to have individuals falsely fill out donation disclosure forms.[25] At the time of the fundraising event, Wong was a member of the NSW Legislative Council.[26][27][28]

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References
  1. "Labor fills vacant Eric Roozendaal seat with Burwood Deputy Mayor Ernest Wong". The Telegraph. Australia. 26 May 2013.
  2. "Annual Report". Xiaoxiao Education Limited. 31 December 2010.
  3. "Labor Official Website". Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  4. "Special Children Organisation". Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  5. Westmead Medical Research Foundation Annual Report 2007. Westmead Medical Research Foundation. 16 October 2013.
  6. "Chinese mayor picked for NSW MP vacancy". Nine News, Australia. 26 May 2013.
  7. "Burwood Council Website". Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  8. "Unity Party Website". Archived from the original on 7 February 2007.
  9. "Burwood Council Website". Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  10. "The Hon. Ernest WONG". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  11. "NSW Election May See Emergence of The 'Muslim Vote'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 May 2013.
  12. "Xiao Xiao" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2013.
  13. "Ernest Wong elected to replace Roozendaal in NSW Parliament". ABC News. Australia. 26 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  14. "NSW Parliament". Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  15. "Mr Ernest Wong". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  16. "NSW Parliament". Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  17. "NSW Parliament votes to keep abortion in Crimes Act". Lawyers Weekly. 2 May 2017.
  18. "Same-sex marriage bill defeated in NSW upper house". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. "Voluntary assisted dying bill defeated in NSW upper house". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  20. Riordan, Primrose (1 December 2017). "NSW MP Ernest Wong cuts ties with Labor donor Huang Xiangmo". The Australian. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  21. McKenzie, Nick (6 February 2019). "'A man of many dimensions': the big Chinese donor now in Canberra's sights". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  22. McKenzie, Nick; Smith, Alexandra; Hunter, Fergus (27 June 2018). "This sitting Labor MP has been cultivated by Chinese intelligence". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  23. Wells, Jamelle (30 August 2019). "Former Labor MP Ernest Wong accused of lying about political donation". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  24. Wells, Jamelle (2 September 2019). "Developer Huang Xiangmo was 'happy' to drop $100,000 donation to Labor HQ, ICAC hears". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  25. Knaus, Christopher (2 September 2019). "Former Labor MP denies telling key Icac witness to 'keep his mouth shut'". Guardian Australia. Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  26. Rabe, Tom; McClymont, Kate (30 August 2019). "Former Labor MP accused of lying to ICAC over donation". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  27. Rabe, Tom; McClymont, Kate (2 September 2019). "'Are you making this all up?' former Labor MP grilled at ICAC". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  28. Fowler, Eloise (30 August 2019). "ICAC told Ernest Wong gave 'false evidence'". Financial Review. Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2019.

 

Civic offices
Preceded by
 Mayor of Burwood
2003 – ????		 Succeeded by
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