The home countries of thousands of new Australians who were granted citizenship in the Home Affairs Minister’s pre-election blitz have been revealed.
Tony Burke oversaw the minting of more than 12,500 new Australian citizens over three days in a move some have classed as a last-ditch attempt to shore up Labor support in marginal seats in western Sydney.
By law, all citizens will be required to vote in the imminent federal election.
According to figures obtained by the Saturday Telegraph, the largest cohort of citizens admitted during the blitz entered Australia from India.
Expatriates from the subcontinent accounted for nearly 2,400 of the country’s newest citizens, followed by almost 2,000 from New Zealand.
The United Kingdom, the Philippines, mainland China, Nepal, Iraq, Pakistan, Vietnam and Sri Lanka were the next most popular countries of origin.
No Palestinians were admitted during the three-day period.
A spokesperson for Mr Burke told ABC News that the minister had intervened to hold additional ceremonies, but denied that any applicants had been ‘fast tracked.’
Mayors from Fairfield and Liverpool accused Mr Burke of attempting to secure votes in key Western Sydney electorates (pictured, new citizens and their families in Blacktown)
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke (pictured) made appearances at a number of Western Sydney citizenship ceremonies
The minister’s office also snapped back at claims the process had been gamified to secure Labor votes in marginal seats.
‘Our government believes anyone who has satisfied all the requirements should make their pledge of commitment as soon as possible.’
Mr Burke has been pictured at at least two citizenship ceremonies in Western Sydney in recent days.
On Tuesday, Mr Burke was pictured at ceremony grinning alongside Blacktown mayor Brad Bunting where he addressed the 200-plus crowd of new citizens and their families.
The following night, he appeared alongside independent Fowler MP Dai Le at a ceremony held at Casula Powerhouse Museum, where 260 new citizens were welcomed to the City of Liverpool.
Ms Le told Daily Mail Australia that she had been ‘attending citizenship ceremonies for a decade and have never seen a Minister at one’.
‘Minister Burke told me that he is going to conduct citizenship ceremonies every day for the next couple of weeks,’ Ms Le added.
Shadow Minister for Home Affairs James Paterson demanded an explanation from Labor for the unprecedented surge in ceremonies just before an election is due.
‘Tony Burke must explain why, at the eleventh hour before an election, the Home Affairs Department, under his direction, has uncharacteristically and suddenly assumed control of citizenship ceremonies across Western Sydney,’ Senator Paterson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘He should also explain what led to the apparent focus on the Western Sydney area over others and exactly how much taxpayer money has been spent on this pet project of his.
On Wednesday, he appeared alongside independent Fowler Dai Le MP at ceremony held at Casula Powerhouse Museum where 260 new citizens were welcomed to the City of Liverpool (pictured). Ms Le told this publication that Mr Burke mentioned he would be attending a citizenship ceremony ‘every day for the next couple of weeks’
‘The citizenship process should never be used for political gain, but unfortunately, without clarification from the Minister, that appears to be the case here.’
In an image acquired by the Daily Telegraph, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) displayed a message on a projector screen at a citizenship ceremony in Strathfield encouraging new citizens to enrol to vote.
A giant QR code linking to the AEC’s website was displayed beside a message reminding attendees of their ‘right and responsibility’ to vote in elections.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said there were ‘reasonable questions for the government to answer’ after two west Sydney mayors told the Daily Telegraph Mr Burke had attended a number of ceremonies in their electorates.
Labors electoral fortunes are widely tipped to hang on the outcome in a few seats across western Sydney’s so called ‘mortgage belt.’
Key Labor-held seats of Werriwa and Parramatta could flip to the coalition on a dime, while the ALP is eyeing down independent MP Dai Le’s 1.8 per cent margin in Fowler.
Mr Burke has steadfastly denied suggestions of electioneering, claiming the citizenship decisions were made independently.
‘[It is] outrageous to suggest that people who have been fully processes and passed every check under law should be prevented from making their pledge of lifelong commitment to our country,’ he said in a statement.