Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been criticised after he personally greeted a group of Palestinian refugees from Gaza at Sydney Airport last week.

Footage captured Burke enthusiastically welcoming dozens of arrivals on Friday. The group is understood to be immediate family members of Australian citizens.

🚨 Australia’s Home Affairs Minister personally rolled out the red carpet for refugees from Gaza after approving visas in under an hour.

Labor’s not protecting our borders.

They’re facilitating an invasion for more votes.
pic.twitter.com/UiKHFItpsO

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) September 30, 2025

Go Ad Free

The minister’s presence at the airport coincided with the government’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state, a decision made on the basis that Hamas would have no role in its future.

Liberal senator Dave Sharma questioned the unusual move, suggesting it raised broader concerns about consistency in how arrivals are received.

“It’s not something a home affairs minister would normally do … I’d point out we have people arrive from different parts of the world and different conflict zones, displaced persons, people seeking refugee status all the time,” Sharma said.

“Normally, it wouldn’t be the home affairs minister who goes out and greets them.”

His remarks followed a sharper rebuke from Coalition senator Sarah Henderson, who told the media that Burke should “stick to his day job rather than hanging out with refugees”.

Burke hit back, drawing a link between Henderson’s remarks and earlier comments made by Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price which saw her removed from the opposition frontbench.

“Senator Henderson’s comments are factually wrong, but I suspect she knows that and doesn’t care,” Burke told The Australian.

“In recent months we have seen the Liberals go after people of Chinese heritage and Indian heritage. It’s sadly unsurprising that these families are added to their list.”

The opposition has repeatedly raised concerns over the Albanese government’s handling of arrivals from Gaza, with critics questioning whether adequate security checks are being applied to those fleeing the region.