Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has politely declined an offer of honorary citizenship from the Italian city of Barletta, the birthplace of his late father, due to legal concerns that the gesture could conflict with Australia’s constitutional rules on foreign allegiance.
The symbolic honour was proposed by Barletta’s mayor, Cosimo Cannito, following Albanese’s stunning re-election to a second term earlier this month.
Anthony Albanese with his father, Carlo Albanese, in Barletta, Italy.Credit: Lisa Golden
Cannito described the prime minister’s political journey as a source of immense pride for the southern Italian region of Puglia.
“It is the success story of a man who, starting from the other side of the world, was able to find his origins and now proudly claims them,” he told local media last week, while inviting the prime minister to visit.
“And this makes the whole community of my city proud to have him at the helm of a great country such as Australia.”
But government sources confirmed this week that Albanese was unlikely to accept the honorary title while serving in parliament. The message has been diplomatically relayed to the regional city council.
“This is a kind and generous offer meant in the spirit of friendship between our two nations,” a source close to Albanese, not authorised to speak on the record, said.
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