PRIME MINISTER 7/ 96
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
MR BURGESS AND MR HOWARD
On the very day we celebrate our nationhood and social harmony, the
National party candidate for Leichhardt has chosen to make remarks which
are deeply offensive to the great majority of Australians and to the values by
which we live.
His remarks are a particular insult to all those Australians who have ever
attended a citizenship ceremony and all those who may be contemplating it.
They make a racist mockery of Australian citizenship ceremonies and
procedures and in doing so also mock the principle of tolerance on which
modern Australia depends.
Mr Burgess would be a member of a coalition government and it is therefore
Mr Howard's duty to disown these comments and call on Mr Burgess to
withdraw and publicly apologise. Passing that responsibility to his Deputy,
Mr Fischer, is an unacceptable response from a man who aspires to lead the
government. If Mr Howard fails this test of leadership, Australians will have a
right to wonder how loud a voice the likes of Mr Burgess would have in a
Coalition government.
CANBERRA 26 JANUARY 1996
Keating, Paul
Period of Service: 20/12/1991 - 11/03/1996
Find more information on Keating, Paul on the:
Release Date:
26/01/1996
Release Type:
Media Release
Transcript ID:
9922
Document:
00009922.pdf
1 Page(s)
Released by:
- Keating, Paul John
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP MR BURGESS AND MR HOWARD
9922