SENATOR THE HON KRISTINA KENEALLY
DEPUTY LABOR LEADER IN THE SENATE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES
ANDREW GILES MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
MEMBER FOR SCULLIN
JULIAN HILL MP
DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT
MEMBER FOR BRUCE
It's been revealed that over 220,000 people are still waiting to have their citizenship applications processed as future citizens are being forced to wait 13 months to pledge allegiance to Australia under the Liberals.
Late last year, Immigration Minister David Coleman pedalled false hope to permanent residents wanting to pledge allegiance to Australia when he promised them he was 'boosting' citizenship processing.
However new Questions on Notice submitted by Julian Hill MP have revealed there are 221,415 people waiting to have their citizenship applications processed and the average number of days from lodgement to approval has blown out to an astonishing 410 days.
As citizenship processing grinds to a halt under the third term Morrison Government, the number of people making citizenship applications decreased by more than 100,000 in 2018-19 alone.
Despite this 100,000 drop in citizenship applications, the number of people waiting to have their applications processed only reduced by around 24,000 between 2017-18 and 2018-19.
These latest revelations follow the Auditor-General's utterly scathing report on citizenship processing in February 2019 and an upcoming inquiry by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit.
Scott Morrison says "if you have a go, you get a go" but these citizenship processing blowouts are proof he doesn't care about people waiting for their citizenship applications to be processed.
The ongoing blowouts are cruel, callous and are preventing people from pledging commitment to Australia.
David Coleman is clearly Immigration and Citizenship Minister in name only, as he had presided over the largest ever decline in citizenship applications as would-be
Australians despair at having to wait more than a year.
Why is Scott Morrison preventing members of Australia's multicultural community from pledging allegiance to Australia? Why won't he give them a go?