Citizens' express lane

February 21, 2025

Friday 21 February 2025
James O'Doherty
Courier Mail


 
 Home Affairs accused of rushing process to get votes Citizens' express lane  Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been accused of "rushing  through" citizenship applications in marginal seats and politicising  citizenship for "partisan advantage," by launching an unprecedented  three-day blitz of ceremonies to welcome thousands of new Australians in  electorates Labor is desperate to hold.
 
 Mr Burke's department will grant 12,500 people their citizenship papers  between February 17 and March 4.
 
 Western Sydney mayors are furious Mr Burke's department took upcoming  ceremonies out of their hands, to confer citizenships on 6000 new Australians  in Tony Burke Olympic Park over three days from today.
 
 Opposition Home Affairs spokesman James Paterson accused Mr Burke of using a  "rushed and unorthodox process" to politicise citizenship.
 
 "Tony Burke should be transparent about why, on the eve of an election  and at his direction, the Home Affairs Department has taken over citizenship  ceremonies from local councils in Western Sydney in a rushed and unorthodox  process," he said. "The process of awarding citizenship should  never be politicised for partisan advantage."
 
 Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun also accused Mr Burke of "rushing  through" citizenships.
 
 Council documents show there was a spike in citizenship approvals in  December.
 
 "They have gone and rushed through citizenship applications for 700  people in Liverpool," Mr Mannoun said. "This is bulls--t. They are  stacking marginal seats better than Woolworths stacks shelves."
 
 Mr Burke will personally hand citizenship certificates to thousands of new  Australians in key electorates including Parramatta and Werriwa.
 
 Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said it was "remarkable" that Mr  Burke was "putting thousands of people through an express citizenship  process so that they can vote in the election".
 
 "I just question whether there has been any slackening of the process,  any compromise on the security checks," he told Sky News.
 
 Migrants must have lived in Australia for four years to become a citizen.
 
 The citizenship extravaganza organised by Home Affairs comes after Mr Burke  attended multiple citizenship ceremonies in Western Sydney, including one in  Canterbury-Bankstown on Tuesday.
 
 A councillor present said Labor mayor Bilal El-Hayek told new citizens  "don't forget to speak with the AEC about enrolling before you  leave".
 
 In response to questions, Mr Burke said it was "outrageous to  suggest" people eligible for citizenship should have to wait.
 
 Other Home Affairs ceremonies will take place in Brisbane, Toowoomba, Hobart,  Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

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