While Gladys Liu and I share very little in common (apart from our Chaozhou ancestry and the fact we both can speak Cantonese and Mandarin), her achievement as the first Chinese-Australian female federal MP was a source of pride — especially for a community that has so little representation and leadership in Australian politics.

The "bamboo ceiling" inhibiting membership of our Parliaments, like other key institutions, is thick and tough. But Ms Liu's election as the federal member for Chisholm did in fact represent a small breakthrough.

It should have inspired and motivated current and future generations of Chinese-Australians and Asian-Australians to find their voice, step up and pursue a career in politics.

It provided a breath of fresh air and symbolic reassurance that we are indeed a part of this country and our participation in Australian democracy is welcomed.

Jieh-Yung Lo speaking at the Asian-Australian leadership Summit in Melbourne last week. ( Supplied )

We are collateral damage

The debate over foreign influence and interference, exposure of political donations from questionable sources and the subsequent eroding of Australia's bilateral relationship with China, have placed an enormous strain on the reputation of Chinese-Australians.

We feel that as a community we are becoming collateral damage. And that trend has accelerated dramatically with the recent claims and counter-claims about the new federal member for Chisholm.

Since the claims surrounding Ms Liu's association with Chinese community organisations with alleged links to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) United Front Work Department were made public, I have witnessed a seriously increased sense of nervousness, unease and division among some within the Chinese-Australian community.

This extremely complicated issue, intertwining geopolitical tensions with domestic politics, has left some members of my community feeling as if they have been caught in the crossfire. Many believe it will get worse.

There is outright anger for being bundled together in generalisations based on race, culture and ethnicity. There is frustration at the rise of a new form of Sinophobia with another Australian of Chinese descent in public life having his or her loyalty, commitment and allegiance to Australia questioned.

There is also some disappointment in Ms Liu's response to the allegations and a belief it is not adequate and did not meet community expectations.

These diverse perspectives demonstrate why we need to always recognise the diversity within Chinese-Australians and why it is never appropriate to paint and taint us with the same brush.

Liu's explanation didn't stack up

Many question whether she has the skills to be an effective parliamentarian and make a contribution on behalf of her constituents and community.

Having initially said she "cannot recall" being a member of either group, Ms Liu later confirmed she held an honorary role with Guangdong Overseas Exchange Association in 2011 but no longer had any association with the organisation.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 59 seconds 59 s Ms Lui denies having been a member and suggested her name may have been added without her knowledge

The concerns around skills and competence are important, especially for a community that strongly believes in merit.

For Ms Liu, we have yet to witness much beyond political fundraising and campaigning abilities.

Her interview with Andrew Bolt highlighted her inability to dissect the issues and challenges facing Australia.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 2 minutes 1 second 2 m 1 s Gladys Liu grilled over South China Sea, Xi Jinping

This is of concern because the longer the precise history of her involvement remains unclear, the easier it becomes for Chinese-Australians to be misrepresented.

We need to conquer stereotypes

If we are serious about increasing the participation of Chinese-Australians and Asian-Australians in our democratic institutions, we need to erase the stereotype portraying us as little more than political fundraisers and numbers-builders.

It is a stereotype that has been exacerbated by representatives like Ms Liu and former NSW Labor MP Ernest Wong.

Within Chinese-Australian circles in Victoria, Ms Liu is a well-known fundraiser — able to quickly bring in VIP guests to Liberal Party events where thousands of dollars are raised to assist various Liberal Party campaigns.

But dollars are not the only numbers Ms Liu can bring to the table.

She has also shown the ability to recruit hundreds of volunteers from the Chinese-Australian community to fill polling booths.

These skills enabled her to develop her political capital, leading eventually to her successful preselection for a marginal seat.

Thanks to political operatives like Ms Liu, Chinese-Australians and to a certain extent other Asian-Australian communities, are seen by some politicians and political parties as little more than cash cows — walking ATMs whose only real contribution is to provide donations at lavish dinners.

Liu needs to show leadership

Ms Liu's continued approach in refusing to offer a full and transparent public explanation to the allegations against her threatens to undermine the outcomes I and many others are striving to work towards.

It is hard to argue for greater cultural diversity of representation and leadership in our institutions when those already occupying these positions, such as Ms Liu, fail to show leadership and transparency by not immediately declaring membership of the Chinese community organisations in question and donations made to the Liberal Party of Victoria.

Representation is important but it must not be tokenistic: those breaking through the bamboo ceiling must have the skills and competences that make them standard bearers for others.

I argued during this year's Federal Election that, regardless of who was going to win the seat of Chisholm between Labor's Jennifer Yang and Gladys Liu, there would be big expectations from Chinese-Australians.

We expect Ms Liu to speak up on our behalf, represent her constituents, make a contribution to the big policy issues facing Australia and be accountable for her actions and opinions.

From what I and many in the Chinese-Australian community have seen so far, we could be waiting for a long time.

Jieh-Yung Lo is a Chinese-Australian advocate and commentator and former member of the Australian Labor Party.