Home Affairs replaced King Charles ‘temporary’ portraits in department offices with ministers
The Home Affairs department, now headed by Tony Burke, ordered that portraits of King Charles in its offices be substituted with those of then-minister Clare O’Neil, it’s been revealed.
Portraits of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and other portfolio ministers hang where portraits of King Charles once hung in the premises of Mr Burke’s department, after the department’s boss ordered all the portraits of the monarch to be replaced with those of ministers in February last year.
Awaiting the release of the King’s official portrait, Home Affairs department secretary Stephanie Foster “requested that the temporary portraits of King Charles III … be replaced with photos of portfolio ministers”, the department said in a response to a question on notice to Senate estimates.
There was no official protocol on whether to display portraits of the reigning monarch or current ministers, and the agencies had discretion to decide on the matter, the department said.
At the time, the home affairs minister was Clare O’Neil, who has since been moved to the housing portfolio.
When asked whether the King’s portraits had been restored given his official portrait was released in July last year, the Home Affairs Department told The Australian that “photos of our portfolio ministers remain displayed in our premises”.
This would mean that in place of the King’s portraits now hang portraits of Mr Burke, Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly, Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain, Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Emergency Management Minister Josh Wilson and Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill.
Acting opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson questioned the department’s “strange priority”.
“I must have missed the referendum which made Tony Burke King of Australia,” he told The Australian.
“Surely the Department of Home Affairs had enough on their plate already with the detainee crisis, deportation disaster, and overseeing the return of regular illegal boat arrivals for the first time in a decade.
“Turning their minister into a monarch is a strange priority for a department that can’t even get the basics right.”
Mr Burke lashed the Liberal Party in response and called on it to be more “patriotic”.
“My favourite portrait we have of the King is the one we use at the citizenship ceremonies,” he said.
“It’s enormous and new citizens queue up taking selfies in front of it.
“If the Liberals were a bit more patriotic and stopped boycotting citizenship ceremonies, they could take one too.”
Anthony Albanese – a staunch republican – has ruled out holding another referendum while in office, taking the republican question off the table for the immediate future.
“I think I’ve made it clear that I wanted to hold one referendum while I was prime minister, and we did that,” the Prime Minister told the ABC after his meeting with the King.
“We did that, and I think we’re concentrating on cost of living, and on making a real practical difference to people’s lives.”
Nonetheless, he said he “of course” thought it was “strange” he had to fly to the other side of the world to meet with the King of Australia.
“But I also respect the decisions which have been made and our system of government, and I think that’s important,” he said.
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