Un-Vaccinated restricted from citizenship ceremonies

The Government claims the un-vaccinated are allowed to attend citizenship ceremonies. Despite this, constituent after constituent has written to me saying that they have been turned away from citizenship ceremonies because of their jab status.

Not being able to attend these ceremonies can put your entire citizenship application down the drain. The Government is in effect saying that if you aren’t vaccinated, we don’t want you as a citizen.

Transcript

Senator Roberts.

Thank you, Chair, and thank you all for being here today. My questions are fairly straightforward and they’ll be fairly quick. Are staff of your department telling people they must be vaccinated in order to attend citizenship ceremonies in Queensland?

There are state orders that are applicable. I’ll ask Mr. Kefford, who administers our citizenship programme, to come forward.

Thank you.

It’ll be a function of what the state public health orders are. And you’re interested in the state of Queensland-

Yes, I am.

Particularly? State of Queensland, Mr. Kefford.

Thank you, Senator, the conduct of citizenship ceremonies, we rely significantly on local councils around the country. And as the secretary’s indicated, this department doesn’t impose conditions relating to public health on the attendants or not at those functions. So, for example, the Australia Day ceremony here, the guests were required to comply with the ACT’s rules, their being the representative local council for that purpose.

Do we provide advice to that effect? In other words, I think the senator’s question is what the department is advising.

The department’s advice is that the ceremony needs to be conducted in accordance with the code, the ceremony’s code, but the public health arrangements are a matter for the states and the local council.

Thank you for that. And thank you, Mr. Pezzullo. That’s exactly what I’m after. I’m told by some constituents in Queensland that this has happened to them. They’ve been told by your department that they must be vaccinated in order to attend the citizenship ceremonies in Queensland.

Well, Senator, I’d prefer to receive more precise information as to the circumstances.

Well, my understand is that it’s the same as you just said.

So if my departmental offices, as they properly should, are advising attendees to conform with applicable state… Well, state or territory, in this case state, public health orders, then that’s appropriate, but as Mr. Kefford said, we don’t have a separate vaccination policy or vaccination mandate that we apply to ceremonies. It’s a function of what the state orders are.

So Mr. Pezzullo, understand, there’s an anxiety that’s being caused because the federal agency is telling the people that the Queensland agency requires double vaccinated when it doesn’t. The Queensland COVID requirements for citizenship ceremonies are not a function of vaccination to attend. They basically exclude citizenship ceremonies and any… Yeah, any citizenship ceremonies.

Well, we’ll take on notice on whether we are misinterpreting or misconstruing the Queensland public health orders, but I can assure you there’s no such thing as a Department of Home Affairs public health order.

No, no, I’m not implying that. I’m saying that your staff apparently are telling some of our citizens in Queensland that they must be double vaccinated rather than saying they must comply with the state government’s health orders.

Mr. Kefford, without any particulars from the Senator, can we shed any further light on this matter?

No, Secretary, my understanding is our approach has been to say you will be required to comply with the local health requirements and nothing further.

[Roberts] Okay. Thank you.