Jason Yat-Sen Li (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
: 李逸仙;
born 1972) is an Australian businessman and politician. He is a member of the
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
(ALP) and was elected to the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...
at the
2022 Strathfield state by-election.
Li was a
republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
delegate to the
1998 Australian Constitutional Convention. He was one of the founders of the
Unity Party and stood unsuccessfully as the party's lead
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
candidate at the
1998 federal election. He later joined the ALP and was an endorsed candidate at the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2019 federal elections, prior to his election to state parliament in 2022.
Early life
Li was born in 1972.
He is the son of George and Pansy Li,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
ers who first met while living in the same apartment block in
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to th ...
. His mother migrated to New Zealand in 1958 and his father moved to Australia in 1960. They subsequently reunited and married in 1969, settling in the
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
suburb of
Bexley
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Char ...
.
While living at
Maroubra Beach
Maroubra is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick.
Marou ...
, Li attended
Sydney Grammar School
(Praise be to God)
, established =
, type = Independent, day school
, gender = Boys
, religious_affiliation = None
, slogan =
, headmaster = R. B. Malpass
, founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran
, chairman = ...
because his father's business soon made the family independently wealthy. Li studied Arts-Law at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
and, after graduating with his law degree, he moved to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. There, he completed a
Masters of Law from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, highlighted by being recognised as Australia's Hauser Global Scholar.
Business career
Li began his working career as a
solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
for
Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Founded in 1841, Corrs Chambers Westgarth (often referred to as ''Corrs'') is a leading, independent Australian commercial law firm. Its clients include national and international corporations, governments, banks and financial sponsors.
The firm ...
, working for the law firm until 1999. During this time, Li also briefly worked at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, for the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was a body of the United Nations that was established to prosecute the war crimes that had been committed during the Yugoslav Wars and to try their perpetrators. The tribunal ...
at the
Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, working as an associate to H.E. Judge Lal Vohrah. During his time in New York in 2000, he was an Associate in the Corporate Division of
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, better known as Davis Polk is a white-shoe, international law firm headquartered in New York City with 980 attorneys worldwide and offices in Washington, D.C., Northern California, London, Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Be ...
.
[
Upon returning to Sydney, he founded Professional Search Pty Ltd, working as executive director of the legal and accounting digital services platform. He sold this business in 2002.
Li then continued his professional career at ]Insurance Australia Group
Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) is a multinational insurance company. It is the largest general insurance company in Australia, and also the largest in New Zealand through its subsidiary IAG New Zealand. IAG had its origins in the Nati ...
(IAG). From 2002 to 2004 he worked as the Head of Sustainability, with the responsibility of leading IAG's sustainability program for which IAG was named Sustainable Company of the Year in 2003. He was then promoted to Head of China Strategy from 2004 to 2005, working on IAG's acquisition of the China Automobile Association as well as strategic investment in China Pacific Insurance Co. In 2005, Li was appointed General Manager, Sales & Marketing for the newly acquired IAG subsidiary China Automobile Association in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
In 2007, Li founded Yatsen Associates, a boutique cross-border corporate finance advisory firm, specialising in complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions and capital raising mandates. Many of Yatsen Associates' clientele have interests in oil, natural gas, clean energy, coal, and agricultural businesses in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
.
From 2013, he has been the Executive Chairman of Vantage Asia Holdings. Vantage Asia Holdings manages a broad portfolio of investments both in Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
and Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, including resources and technology firms, retail hospitality, student accommodation and vitamins/supplements firms. In 2022 it has been reported that the company has a one-page website that lists a non-functioning phone number.
Boards
Li has been heavily involved at his alma mater the University of Sydney as a Fellow of the University of Sydney Senate. He has served on the Strategy and Risk Committee, the People and Culture Committee, and is currently Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee. Since 2021, Li has been a Pro-Chancellor of the University.
Previously Li had served as a non-executive director for nine years at the George Institute for Global Health
The George Institute for Global Health, is an independent medical research institute headquartered in Australia with offices in China, India and the United Kingdom. The George Institute conducts research on non-communicable disease, including h ...
, the region's leading medical research institute focused on non-communicable diseases. He has also served as a Director of the Sydney Institute
The Sydney Institute is a privately funded Australian policy forum founded in 1989. The institute took over the resources of the Sydney Institute of Public Affairs which ceased activity in the late 1980s.
The institute was opened on 23 August 19 ...
and is a previous Youth Chair of the NSW Ethnic Communities Council. Li has also been a non-executive director of the National Centre for Volunteering and a former Governing Member of the Smith Family charity.
From 2007 to 2013, he served on the board of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, Beijing including a stint as vice-chair from 2009 to 2011. He has also previously served on the board of the Asia Australia Institute. Li is an advisory board member of think-tank China Matters and is the current President of the Chinese Australian Forum since 2019. Li is also currently on the board of AsiaLink
Asialink is Australia's leading centre for creative engagement with Asia. Asialink works with diverse communities in Australia and Asia for mutual understanding and prosperity. Asialink develops insights, capabilities and connections through p ...
and the advisory board of HaymarketHQ.
Li is a member of the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
, serving as a Young Global Leader as well as on the Forum's Global Agenda Council on China.
In 2017, Li became chair of Refugee Talent, a software company that uses technology to assist refugees and migrants in Australia to secure meaningful employment.
Politics
Early activities
Li was elected to the 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention as a republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
delegate from New South Wales, running as a candidate for "A Multi-Cultural Voice". He came to notice as "a young, eloquent advocate for an Australian republic",[ describing the ]monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...
as an "elitist, sectarian, sexist institution, completely out of touch with modern Australia". He appeared in the national media to advocate a "Yes" vote at the 1999 Australian republic referendum
The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament foll ...
, despite the opposition of some republicans to the final model chosen. During the campaign, he publicly apologised after criticising model Jodhi Meares
Jodhi Meares (born 24 March 1971) is an Australian glamour model, television personality and fashion designer.
Career
Meares took her first steps into the spotlight when she was chosen as a model for Moove, a brand of flavoured milk. In 1992, ...
for declining to wear a republican T-shirt with a risqué slogan, stating that "she had the chance to be the tits of the nation, but she's missed out now".[
Following the rise of anti-immigration politician ]Pauline Hanson
Pauline Lee Hanson (''née'' Seccombe, formerly Zagorski; born 27 May 1954) is an Australian politician who is the founder and leader of One Nation, a right-wing populist political party. Hanson has represented Queensland in the Australian ...
and her One Nation party, in 1998 Li help to establish the multiculturalist Unity Party, along with Peter Wong, Mary Kalantzis
Professor Mary Kalantzis (born 1949) is an Australian author and academic, and is a former dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the United States. Her work examines Australian multiculturalism. ...
, and Bill Cope. He was the party's lead Senate candidate in New South Wales at the 1998 federal election, but failed to win election.[
]
ALP candidacies
Li was asked by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
to run as the Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
candidate for the seat of Bennelong
Woollarawarre Bennelong ( 1764 – 3 January 1813), also spelt Baneelon, was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia in 1788. Bennelong serv ...
at the 2013 federal election even though he did not live in the electorate. His selection came late in the campaign, following the withdrawal of original ALP candidate Jeff Silvestro-Martin due to an ICAC anti-corruption investigation. Li was defeated by the incumbent Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP John Alexander. Li’s wife Lucy is a close friend of Rudd’s daughter Jessica. Li was given the seat of Bennelong by NSW Labor Head Office in absence of an ALP rank and file vote which allows local Labor branch members to democratically vote for their candidate. Li subsequently failed in his attempt to win the ALP pre-selection rank and file vote for the Federal seat of Banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becaus ...
in 2018 towards the lead up to the 2019 Federal election.
Li was placed third on the ALP's Senate ticket in New South Wales for the 2019 federal election, behind Tony Sheldon and Tim Ayres
Timothy Ayres (born 18 December 1973) is an Australian politician and trade unionist who was elected as a Senator for New South Wales at the 2019 federal election. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party and was previously a trade union ...
. During the campaign he called for diversity targets to be introduced for federal parliament and criticised media narratives around dual loyalty
In politics, dual loyalty is loyalty to two separate interests that potentially conflict with each other, leading to a conflict of interest.
Inherently controversial
While nearly all examples of alleged "dual loyalty" are considered highly cont ...
of Chinese-Australians. Li has also commented in 2019 that Australia should consider investing in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, or B&R), formerly known as One Belt One Road ( zh, link=no, 一带一路) or OBOR for short, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 ...
.
State MP
In 2021, Li was again endorsed as the third candidate on the ALP's Senate ticket for the next federal election. However, in 2022 he was instead endorsed by NSW Labor as the party's candidate for the 2022 Strathfield state by-election, following the resignation of former party leader Jodi McKay
Jodi Leyanne McKay (born 16 August 1969) is a former Australian politician who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of New South Wales from June 2019 until May 2021. She previously served as a member of the New South Wales Legislat ...
. There was no rank and file vote by the local ALP members in the branches for the electorate.
Li retained Strathfield for the ALP at the by-election.
Personal life
Li was born in Sydney, Australia, grew up in Bexley North and went to Kingsgrove and Hurstville Public Schools.
Li and his family moved to China in 2005, and lived there for 8 years until 2013.
Li has three children with his wife Lucy. He speaks English, Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
and Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Jason
Australian people of Chinese descent
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales
Living people
20th-century Australian lawyers
Australian republicans
People educated at Sydney Grammar School
Lawyers from Sydney
University of Sydney alumni
New York University alumni
1972 births
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Davis Polk & Wardwell lawyers