Tangney Liberal hopeful Mark Wales set to publish novel about civil war triggered by Chinese Communist Party

SAS veteran and star Liberal contender for the seat of Tangney, Mark Wales, will soon publish a novel that depicts a fictional Australian conflict triggered by Chinese influence. The book will be published in June under the title Outrider and will focus on a civil war that breaks out in 2034 after Australia has been destabilised by the Chinese Communist Party. Mr Wales — who recently moved back to WA and has a small role in the upcoming Mad Max film — took to social media to describe his work as a “cracker novel”, where in “Australia, 2034 - the war comes home…” When contacted by The West Australian, Mr Wales stressed the book was “purely fictional” and not be interpreted as his prediction for what lay in the nation’s future. “I fought for my country, love my country, had mates die under that (Australian) flag and so I take our security really seriously,” Mr Wales said. “I think we need to be willing to use our imagination, and we have to be willing to go against accepted norms, and that is why I wrote this novel. “It is based on my experiences in fighting overseas and a vision of what could happen if that ever came home to Australia. “I think it’s a very unlikely scenario but it is a nightmare scenario and an entertaining thought exercise. “The (civil war started by the CCP) is a plot point but it centres on family, a father and son trying to escape war in Victoria.” Some Liberal sources have suggested Mr Wales’ book could be perceived in Beijing as provocation were he to win preselection for the seat of Tangney. Mr Wales is one of six candidates for Liberal preselection in the southern suburbs seat — won by Labor’s Sam Lim in a shock result at the 2022 Federal election — and may be the frontrunner after City of Canning Mayor Patrick Hall dropped out hours after nominations closed. His biggest challengers are IT specialist Howard Ong, a former Australian Christians member and ex-volunteer for the Australian Christian Lobby and Sean Ayres, a lawyer and former staffer to Ben Morton - who was ousted as Tangney MP in 2022. Mr Wales, a two-time Survivor contestant, is understood to have the backing of shadow defence spokesman Andrew Hastie — a fellow ex-SAS soldier and staunch China hawk. Mr Hastie angered the Chinese Government when he wrote an opinion piece that drew parallels between the world’s complacency over China’s rise and that of Europe’s response to Nazi Germany in the early years of WWII. He described Mr Wales as a “strong, experienced leader across the military, business and non-profit sectors” and said he was exactly the kind of candidate the Liberals needed to win Tangney. “He also has an imagination and a gift with the pen,” Mr Hastie said. “This novel is a creative contribution to our national security debate. There are people wringing their hands about this, but I don’t think they are focusing on the big picture.” Australia’s relationship with China peaked under the Abbott Government, with new trade agreements reached, but deteriorated under Scott Morrison after he called for an investigation into the origins of COVID. China — the nation’s largest trading partner — hit back with tariffs that impacted $20 billion worth of Australian exports. Relations have improved since the change of Government with Foreign Minister Penny Wong resuming high-level dialogues and reaching agreements that have seen China lift some trade barriers. Outrider would be Mr Wales’ second book after his 2021 best-selling memoir ‘Survivor: Life in the SAS,’ which recounted his military service and revealed his PTSD. Former Canning councillor Jesse Jacobs, long-time party member Bill Koul and Melville councillor Jennifer Spanbroek are also seeking preselection. Mr Jacobs, who ran for Canning Mayor, is charged with stealing Mr Hall’s local government election signs. The Mayor said he wanted to focus on his second term and said the “development” of Mr Jacobs joining the race had “caused controversy around my campaign”.