Labor’s Tanya Plibersek has been forced to defend herself against backlash over her idea to have school kids recite Australia’s citizenship pledge.
The shadow education minister made the suggestion during a speech at the Opera House on Australia Day.
She expressed her love for the citizenship pledge and suggested it should be taught to Australian school students.
The pledge reads: “I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its People, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.”
But she’s faced significant backlash over the idea, with people calling it “disappointing” and “retrograde”.
But Tanya Plibersek tells Ben Fordham it’s possible to be both a progressive and love your country.
“People are entitled to their views and my view is that I think the citizenship pledge is a beautiful expression of what it takes to be a citizen.
“We pledge our loyalty to our country and to each other, it’s not to the crown, it’s not to a political party, it’s to one another and I think that’s really in line with the best traditions of Australia.”
I could accept Tanya Plibersek as a Labor Prime Minister
@icyfroth wrote:
She expressed her love for the citizenship pledge and suggested it should be taught to Australian school students.
The pledge reads: “I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its People, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.”
They are just words are so easy to ignore by those that don't give a carp anyway and they remind me of some
religious beliefs in that they have to keep repeating something so that it becomes a part of them.
There are also "agencies" that will keep at a person with a lie until they believe it's the truth.
“People are entitled to their views and my view is that I think the citizenship pledge is a beautiful expression of what it takes to be a citizen.
Actions not words dictates what it takes to be a citizen that upholds those words and believes themselves to be part
of this great country.
