Council takes popular Citizenship Ceremonies online

Monday, 2 August 2021

More than 200 residents in the Penrith Local Government Area will start the week as new Australian citizens as Penrith City Council moves its Citizenship Ceremonies online.

During the lockdown and now with the government’s four-week extension of stay-at-home orders, several ceremonies which would normally be held in person were being postponed. With uncertainty around further extensions and the impact to residents waiting for their citizenship, Council advocated for and has been able to host its ceremonies via an online ceremony.

Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown OAM officiated online ceremonies over the weekend and said they are a practical alternative to face-to-face events during a pandemic.

“Council had the opportunity to congratulate and welcome 240 new citizens across eight ceremonies held on Saturday,” Cr McKeown said.

“Rather than accumulating a backlog of ceremonies, we are adapting to the changing times and using modern technology to our advantage, giving our eager and excited new citizens the proud moment they have patiently waited for.

“This has proved to be a great way to keep our planned ceremonies in place while ensuring the ongoing safety of our community members, which is paramount.

“Penrith is a wonderfully diverse City and Council is pleased to be able to bring joy to some residents of our growing City at a time when we could all use some positive news.

The feedback from the citizens was fantastic with many of them appreciative of the steps taken to grant them citizenship during these difficult times.” Cr McKeown said.

From 80 countries of origin, Penrith’s latest Citizens reside in 25 suburbs across the Local Government Area, with Jordan Springs being the highest represented suburb.

Council thanks the many participants who took part in their respective, new-look Citizenship Ceremony.

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Monday, 2 August 2021.