Tony Burke accused of not inviting rival MP to controversial citizenship extravaganza
Fowler MP Dai Le claims she did not get an invite to Tony Burke’s industrial-scale citizenship ceremony in Olympic Park. His office claims she ignored the invitation.
NSW
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been accused of exploiting a loophole in citizenship ceremony rules to avoid a requirement to officially invite a rival MP to his industrial-scale citizenship extravaganza in Olympic Park.
Fowler MP Dai Le claims she was not invited to the Olympic Park event where more than 4,500 people became citizens over three days.
However, her Labor opponent for Fowler, Tu Le, was invited – pictured beaming alongside new Australians.
Last week The Daily Telegraph revealed that the Home Affairs department would hold 25 industrial scale citizenship ceremonies to welcome new Australians, in a move the Coalition labelled “seat stacking”.
Among the thousands of new Australians granted citizenship in Homebush over the weekend were residents of the Fowler electorate, who will have the right to vote at the upcoming election.
According to the Citizenship Ceremony “code,” ceremony organisers “must invite all elected officials of the locality”.
“This is to allow local representatives to introduce themselves and welcome new citizens as full members of the community.”
But the Telegraph can reveal that Mr Burke’s mass citizenship bonanza exploited a loophole in the rules, allowing the minister’s department to avoid inviting local MPs who represent the new Australians.
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone accused Mr Burke of breaking his own code of conduct by not inviting the Fowler MP.
“The minister has not only turned citizenship ceremonies into a Labor Party campaign event and a catwalk for Labor candidates, but he has broken his own code by not inviting the federal MPs,” he said.
A Home Affairs spokesman said the rules only required invites for elected representatives of the area in which the ceremony is being held.
That did not stop Labor officials from inviting their Fowler candidate.
The Fowler MP said that since the ceremony conferred citizenship on hundreds of people from her electorate, she should have been invited.
“The Labor candidate for Fowler was invited to attend, but I – their local Member – was not,” Dai Le told the Telegraph.
“This is inexcusable.
“The ceremony in Homebush over the weekend has inserted these new Australians into an electioneering campaign by the Labor Party.”
Mr Burke’s spokesman said that an official invitation had been extended to Fairfield council, of which Ms Le is the Deputy Mayor.
“Why Dai Le chose to ignore invitations and boycott these ceremonies is a question for her,” Mr Burke’s spokesman said.
The Homebush ceremony conferred citizenships on thousands of Australians from all over Sydney, notably in Western Sydney seats which could decide the outcome of the election.
Mr Burke’s spokesman said the minister had earlier in the week told Ms Le she was “welcome” at the Olympic Park ceremony.
“When the Minister met Dai Le at the (citizenship) ceremony in Liverpool he made it clear to her that she was welcome to come along to the ceremonies in Homebush.”
Originally published as Tony Burke accused of not inviting rival MP to controversial citizenship extravaganza
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