Independent MP Dai Le has launched a scathing attack on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke over a series of controversial citizenship ceremonies in Western Sydney, alleging she was deliberately excluded while Labor’s candidate for her seat was invited.
Burke is facing scrutiny over the large-scale citizenship events held in electorates expected to be fiercely contested in the upcoming federal election. While he insists the blitz was necessary to clear a backlog of applicants, critics argue it was a strategic move to garner political support for Labor.
A key concern has been the reported omission of certain local representatives from these events, despite standard protocol requiring their invitation to ensure impartiality. Speaking to Sky News Australia, Le, who represents the federal seat of Fowler and is also a Fairfield councillor, expressed outrage at Burke’s claim that she had been invited.
“I was so furious that he made that claim—it’s a blatant lie to say that the invitation was sent to me. I received no such invitation.”
Reports suggested Le was offered an invite to a Homebush ceremony, but she firmly denied this, stating she had received neither a formal nor verbal offer.
“I’m really shocked. Nothing was mentioned. All he said was that he was doing all the ceremonies in the next couple of weeks. That’s it,” she said.
“I was innocently thinking, ‘Oh, wow, a Minister attending here for the first time—that’s amazing.’ Then it clicked later that this was just before the election.”
Le pointed out that Labor’s candidate for Fowler, Tu Le, had attended the ceremony along with other Labor MPs, some representing marginal seats in Western Sydney. She questioned whether this indicated a broader strategy by the Albanese government to sway voters ahead of the election.
“We asked the Prime Minister: are they covering something up? Is there a lack of transparency with the public?” Le said.
“Are they desperate? Because a lot of things are not adding up.”
Burke’s office refuted Le’s claims, stating she was invited via Fairfield City Council. A spokesperson for the minister told The Daily Telegraph:
“Why Dai Le chose to ignore invitations and boycott these ceremonies is a question for her.”
More than 4500 people became citizens during the three-day event at Sydney Olympic Park, including new voters in Fowler. A Home Affairs spokesperson maintained that all official requirements were met and that invitations were issued according to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code.
However, the controversy has intensified amid accusations that the Albanese government is accelerating citizenship ceremonies to bolster electoral support. Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said it was “extraordinary behaviour … in the dying days of a desperate government to schedule these unscheduled, unprecedented, extraordinary Home Affairs Department citizenship ceremonies to ram through 12,000 citizenships in the days before the election is called”.
The fast-tracked cohort is dominated by citizens originating from India (2365), New Zealand (1929), Britain (853), Philippines (581), China (556), Pakistan (396), Vietnam (381) and Afghanistan (289).
The debate is also set to continue in Senate estimates, where Burke’s handling of the ceremonies will be scrutinised.
In response, Burke dismissed the allegations, stating the mass ceremonies were held to address a backlog of applicants. “People making a lifelong pledge of commitment to Australia is a good thing,” he said.
“I don’t know how they’re going to vote.”
Over 50,000 people are awaiting citizenship ceremonies, with 78% expected to wait under three months, 20% between three to six months, and 3% over six months. Regional areas face the longest delays due to lower applicant numbers.
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