Someone forgot to tell Labor MP Tony Burke, that Australian Citizenship ceremonies are not for political campaigning.
The code of conduct clearly states, “Citizenship ceremonies must be non-commercial, apolitical, bipartisan, and secular.”
Second, “They must not be used as forums for political, partisan, or religious expression for the distribution of political material or the sale of souvenirs.”
Twenty years in politics strongly suggests Burke – a Labor lifer, and career politician – knew the code, yet seemingly chose to betray it.
Putting partisan political advantage over this sacred Australian rite, Burke appears to have willingly sacrificed a mass-citizenship ceremony in Western Sydney for the greater glory of the Australian Labor Party.
By holding the unusual event, the Department of Home Affairs minister was already hitting a sour note with Australians.
What Labor is selling as altruistic, looks a lot like them cheapening citizenship ceremonies to serve their own self-interests.
Burke is now being accused of abusing the ceremony for the purpose of saving Labor’s thinly held marginal seats in at least three electorates.
Federal Independent Member for Fowler, Dai Le, revealed she was excluded from the mass citizenship ceremony.
Her opponent, Labor candidate Tu Le wasn’t and benefited politically from the free campaign exposure.
The code prohibits “candidates for election, who currently don’t hold office, from receiving official invites.”
Electoral candidates are also prohibited from being included as official guests or being given a VIP seat.
I couldn’t find evidence confirming whether Tu Le was at the event by invitation, or there of her own accord.
Labor initially defended excluding Dai Le on a loose interpretation of the code of conduct.
They said, Dai Le wasn’t invited, because the mass citizenship event wasn’t held in her locality.
This is despite a large portion of the new citizens potentially being from Dai Le’s electorate.
Labor’s Home Affairs department then back-tracked claiming Dai Le had been invited, insinuating the Independent MP was lying.
Labor claimed Dai Le had “boycotted” the event.
Answering Labor, and their subsequent insults, Dai Le firmly told Sky News, this was a lie.
She never received an invitation.
Countering Burke’s attacks in a lengthy FB post, Dai Le asserted, “His claim that he invited me but I “boycotted” the event is a flat-out lie.
“How could I have “boycotted” something I wasn’t even invited to?”
Slamming the Labor Home Affairs minister, she added, “I feel for the new citizens who had their important day turned into a political campaign event by the Minister.
“They missed out on the opportunity to become citizens of this country in a local ceremony, surrounded by the people they love.
“Instead, they were used as political pawns, all because the Minister chose to put the interests of his election campaign above the significance of this moment for them.”
Highlighting the difference between being political and practicing civics, Dai Le said, “For the Labor Government to politicise something as important and meaningful as a citizenship ceremony is appalling.”
“At the end of the day,” Dai Le wrote on X, citizenship ceremonies should be about the people, not political parties.
James Patterson, the LNP’s spokesman for Home Affairs, remarked, these are the “dying days of a desperate government.”
It’s “extraordinary for Home Affairs Department citizenship ceremonies to ram through 12,000 citizenships, days before the election is called.”
This looks like Labor is trying to stack the electorate.
In a response, Burke, with a smirk, claims he did nothing wrong.
Gaslighting critics, he told them to “have a bit of patriotism.”
Covering the saga, the mighty Peta Credlin described Burke’s tactics as “sheer politicking.”
Mayor of Fairfield, Frank Carbone agreed, stating “it couldn’t be anything but politicking.”
“This is a government that doesn’t believe in Australia Day,” he added.
So, their concern for helping new citizens take the oath to Australia, is suspect.
Especially, since it seems that “only card-carrying Labor party members were allowed through the door.
“It was a catwalk for Labor candidates.”
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