The opposition leader picked up on News Corp claims that Tony Burke was conducting ‘industrial-scale’ ceremonies. Labor denies it has anything to do with the election
This is the first in a series that will run throughout the election campaign pulling apart contested claims from politiciansFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
This week Peter Dutton has claimed Labor wants to “expressly push” new Australians through citizenship ceremonies ahead of the federal election – allegations the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, has strongly denied, accusing critics of a “whinge”.
In the same remarks, Dutton also again claimed the government wanted to “bring people in from a war zone”, referring to Gaza, and appeared to insinuate people from that region were among those being offered citizenship.
Tony Burke is spending today and the rest of this week, as I understand it, conducting as many citizenship ceremonies as you can, and literally putting thousands of people through an express citizenship process so that they can vote in the election within a few weeks, which I think is quite remarkable. And I just question whether there has been any slackening of the process, whether there has been any compromise on the security checks, and whether it’s in our country’s best interests for people to receive citizenship before the proper security checks have been undertaken, or people have had – within the home affairs department – the time to be able to conduct the searches that we would expect to be conducted.”
What would you like to happen to be assured that the processes are being followed?”
There needs to be transparency. If the government’s giving a nod and the wink to a particular part of society – they’re obsessed with the Green vote and they’re worried about losing seats, without being political about it – but let’s be frank about the motivation. Why would you bring people in from a war zone without the requisite checks, on a tourist visa, without precedent? Why would you do that and knowing that it’s territory controlled by a listed terrorist organisation? Why would you expressly push people through the process to receive citizenship in advance of an election which is pending?”
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/21/peter-dutton-says-labor-is-fast-tracking-citizenship-so-that-migrants-can-vote-heres-what-we-know-ntwnfb
Author : Josh Butler
Publish date : 2025-02-21 08:07:00
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