Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code

Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code
Chapter 8
Publicising a ceremony
Every effort should be made by organisers to publicise forthcoming ceremonies
and to encourage local and even national media to attend and report on the
event. Publicising citizenship ceremonies promotes to the wider community the
contribution of new citizens to Australia. It also encourages others to acquire
Australian citizenship.
Media coverage can be enhanced by providing local media, for example,
newspapers, newsletters and magazines with details of the ceremony as far
in advance as possible. Details provided should include a list of speakers and
important guests. Local community organisations could similarly be informed.
Details of candidates should not be provided to media without their consent.
Where a ceremony could be of interest beyond the local district, consideration
could be given to alerting the national media. Examples of such situations include:
• an unusually large ceremony
• where the ceremony is planned to coincide with a local or national event such
as Australia Day or Australian Citizenship Day
• where candidates include prominent figures in local affairs, the arts, sport or
other fields, or
• where there are particularly interesting features planned for the ceremony.
When the minister responsible for citizenship is in attendance, liaison with their
media adviser is required for any press releases or media coverage. Public affairs
officers of the department can also assist with publicity arrangements.
Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code
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