Anthony Albanese has refused to be drawn on Peter Dutton‘s bombshell commitment too force councils to hold Australia Day events on January 26.
The Prime Minister was pressed on the issue after the Opposition Leader announced he would make it mandatory for for councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
In late 2022, the Labor government scrapped a previous rule which mandated that councils held citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
It lead to over 80 councils deciding against holding Australia Day ceremonies on January 26.
But Mr Dutton has vowed to reinstate the old rules if the Coalition wins the federal election, which must be held before May.
Mr Albanese was pressed on the issue on Tuesday but refused to comment on his rival’s headline-grabbing commitment.
‘I will be attending the national Australia Day commemorations [in Canberra] as I have done every year in which I have been Labor leader,’ Mr Albanese said.
‘I hope that Peter Dutton this year makes a choice to join the national Australia Day celebrations in Canberra. That is what I did as the opposition leader.’
More to come.
The Prime Minister was pressed on the issue after the Opposition Leader announced he would make it mandatory for for councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day
