TRANSCRIPT – TV INTERVIEW - SKY NEWS AM AGENDA - MONDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2025
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SKY NEWS AM AGENDA WITH HOLLY STEARNS
MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY 2025
TOPIC: CITIZENSHIP CEREMONIES
HOLLY STEARNES: Joining me live is Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Tony, this is a bit suss, isn't it?
TONY BURKE: Hi, Holly. I've been doing citizenship ceremonies from the moment I came back into the portfolio. When I last held the portfolio 12 years ago, I was doing citizenship ceremonies. I think the one bit in that little cross that you did beforehand that was sort of missing is when a mayor does a citizenship ceremony, they have to announce at the beginning that they're doing it on my behalf, they're doing it on my - as my delegate. And what we've had is a huge backlog, but we've got all these people, people have been waiting for months and months, like I was meeting people who've been waiting for 9, 10, 12 months longer than that over recent days, and I want them to stand up and make a pledge of commitment to Australia. I was stunned when I heard Dai Le complain. I actually made sure at that citizenship ceremony that she got to speak, she wasn't listed to speak. The Mayor of Liverpool wasn't going to allow Dai Le to speak and I intervened and said, she's a Member of Parliament. I have no idea which way anyone is going to vote. Who does have any idea? But the one thing we do know, we're going to see a whole of lot of people who have had their legal rights-
HOLLY STEARNES: Minister, if I can just interrupt you there, sorry-
TONY BURKE: There since last-
HOLLY STEARNES: Minister, I'm just going to interrupt you there. I mean, it's a wonderful moment, don't get me wrong, when, with all due respect to you, at an individual level, this is a wonderful moment for many, but the scale and pace at which this is being done is not normal and the optics don't look good. Why are you going to do this and why are you fast tracking it?
TONY BURKE: Well, I'm not fast tracking it. What we had was a huge backlog. We had a huge backlog of people who were entitled to have these citizenship ceremonies and different councils weren't having enough ceremonies. So, we're making sure that we deal with a huge backlog and, you know, I just say to the people who are complaining, have a bit of patriotism about this, people standing up and saying, I want to make a lifelong pledge of commitment to Australia is a good thing. The fact that there was such a backlog and people wanted to make the commitment and council's not holding enough ceremonies was holding people back. That was a terrible situation. We're fixing it. The people who are complaining, they've all been invited to the ceremonies. I expect a whole lot of them will be here, including some of the mayors who've been complaining. So, you know, they've had their fire, they've had their little bit of a whinge. I reckon anyone here today or at any of the ceremonies around the country, which are not - I have to say one thing that was incorrect was when you claimed in the cross before I came on, that somehow these were targeting seats. These are dealing across the nation with where there's a backlog. I don't care what seat people are from, I don't care which way people are going to vote. But I do care about people who want to make a pledge of commitment to Australia, who have the legal right to do so, getting that chance as soon as possible. It's going to be a great occasion.
HOLLY STEARNES: Well, Labor needs to hold these seats, that's just the fact, it's being held in Western Sydney, their marginal seats. Labor needs to hold on to them. So, you're telling me straight that this was not done for voting purposes and telling us all that we're stupid for thinking otherwise because the optics really don't look good and you don't have to be that smart to see that.
TONY BURKE: Well, I can't hold citizenship ceremonies over the course of summer when a whole lot of people are away, you can't do many then, they sort of all start on Australia Day. I thought the Australia Day ceremonies might do a lot to clear the backlog. Turns out they didn't. I can't hold ceremonies while Parliament's on. So, Parliament's now finished and I'm holding ceremonies. Yeah, this backlog's been there. One council alone, one council had 700 people wanting to get allocated to their ceremonies and they weren't holding the ceremonies. So, you know, this is a good opportunity. I have no idea which way these individuals are going to vote. You know, I don't know if you know which way they're going to vote. They're people who want to make a pledge of commitment to Australia. They'll be in all sorts of seats. A whole lot of them will be in safe Liberal seats. I don't care. They want to make a pledge of commitment to Australia. They're entitled to do so. I'm not going to let any council hold that back.
HOLLY STEARNES: Well, Minister, also, the fact that this story's come out today, it might actually backflip on you and it's sort of taking away from that special moment from those people who were at the ceremonies or are going to be at the ceremonies, to be honest. Is this an appropriate use of department resources so close to a Federal Election?
TONY BURKE: Department resources helping people take citizenship? That's the job of my department. That's their job. The department is meant to be processing people under the Citizenship Act.
HOLLY STEARNES: But does this risk politicising the department so close to an election?
TONY BURKE: Well, how on earth are they meant to do anything other than make sure that people who are legally qualified to become citizens become citizens? Like, I've got to say, it's a very weird angle. I don't know if you've got some secret insight as to which way people are going to vote. I don't. What I know is they're going to make a pledge of commitment to Australia. I don't think any council should be holding people back from doing that. They're entitled to do so. And I just say to the people who've tried to whinge about this today, show a bit of patriotism, be proud when someone wants to make a lifelong pledge of commitment to Australia.
HOLLY STEARNES: Minister, the concern here, lastly, before we wrap this up, and I appreciate your time today, I really do, but the concern here is that you're going to the ceremony to hand these certificates out. That's not normal. Mayors and councils normally do this, so why are you going?
TONY BURKE: What I've said. You've asked this beforehand. Every mayor who does this does it as my personal delegate. That's what's announced. Whenever I've been Minister-
HOLLY STEARNES: So, why is this different?
TONY BURKE: And I held the portfolio 12 years ago. I'm sorry, please. I held the portfolio 12 years ago. As soon as I came back to it, whenever I get the opportunity, I go to citizenship ceremonies and I preside over them, that's what I do. We had a significant backlog of people that I thought was going to be fixed on Australia Day. A whole lot of councils…there's this big thing about how many people will they have at their ceremony? What day will they have their ceremony? And I've answered every time I've been asked about that. If I had my way, we'd have the ceremonies every single day. Some councils simply haven't had enough and people have been held back from taking the pledge. I'm not interested in being held back, I'm interested in them taking the pledge. People were processed ages ago and now they're going to make a pledge of commitment to Australia and we'll be a better nation for it.
HOLLY STEARNES: Ok. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. I appreciate your time today. Thank you.
TONY BURKE: Great to talk to you, Holly.
ENDS