In a video filmed at the event - which was held six months before the contentious 50th anniversary of Ms Court’s grand slam - the former tennis champion prayed for “the bridging of these two nations”. Meanwhile, Mr Court, the brother of Richard Court and son of Sir Charles Court, both former Liberal premiers of West Australia, was appointed honorary consul. He said the partnership had emerged after Burundi's first lady visited Australia to promote her country and used the Victory Life church as a base. “The president of Burundi asked me if I’d stand as a consulate for Burundi in Australia,” he says. “It took a while for the Australian government to recognise that, but eventually they did, and now we have a relationship on a diplomatic scale with Australia and Burundi.” Ms Court has become controversial for preaching, among other things, that homosexuality is an ungodly "lust for the flesh" and that LGBT tendencies in young people were "of the devil". In Burundi, being gay is a crime, with numerous cases of people imprisoned on the grounds of their sexuality. Margaret Court with first lady of Burundi, Denise Bucumi Nkurunziza.

Human rights advocates and refugees have slammed the decision to approve Burundi's honorary consulate. According to a UN Commission report released last year, state authorities and members of the ruling party’s youth wing, the Imbonerakure, “have carried out killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of torture and ill-treatment and rape against actual or alleged political opposition members”. “Imagine an Australian Christian Minister being a Consul for Pol Pot,” said Brisbane doctor Wendell Rosevear, a friend of a Burundi refugee Christian Nduwimana whose father was killed by armed forces in 2017. Christian’s brother Pacifique Ndayisaba was also arrested and tortured by Burundi authorities. Both brothers now live in Australia, and told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald they were shocked by the Court family's support for the country. Pacifique Ndayisaba with his family. A former student leader in the Republic of Burundi, he fled to Uganda and then came to Australia on a visa with the help of Amnesty International. Credit:Louise Kennerley “It is very concerning that a famous Australian lady would host and support a regime which kills people, discriminates against LGBTI people, and uses rape as a weapon,” said Mr Ndayisaba, a spokesman for the group Survivors and Victims of the Burundi Dictatorship.

Australia has about 118 consulate offices, and almost half the nation’s consular posts are honorary. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade approved the consulate in August 2018. One year later, at the Human Rights Council in September 2019, Australia expressed grave concern at the reported actions of Burundi's regime. A DFAT spokesperson said the consulate has jurisdiction in Western Australia only, and all costs are the responsibility of Burundi. "This is not a diplomatic appointment," the spokesperson said. According to the 2016 census there are only 2117 people from Burundi living in Australia. Mr Court told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that the honorary office would help Burundi-Australians to process travel documents as well as establish trade and economic links. Burundi's first lady Denise Bucumi Nkurunziza and Barry and Margaret Court with other officials at the opening of the Consulate of the Republic of Burundi at Victory Life Centre in Osborne Park. He said there was enormous potential for Australian foreign investment in Burundi, particularly in terms of agriculture and mining. About 1000 hectares of land had already been set aside for “large scale agriculture project,” he said, and the country is now using Victory Life’s bible school curriculum to teach its citizens.

“The place has changed a lot,” Mr Court said, when asked about the country’s history of genocide. “The economy is blossoming, and we can really help the people there. I’m quite enthusiastic about its future.” The revelations come as the Morrison Government faces a heated debate over its religious discrimination bill. Supporters of Ms Court say she has every right to express her views on matters such as same-sex marriage, and want the new legislation to further protect the right to freedom of religious speech. However, LGBTI advocate Antek Benedyka said Ms Court was “an example of how we need to separate church and state in order to protect all of our beliefs and freedoms”. Loading Situated south of Rwanda, Burundi has a longstanding history of civil warfare between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic communities, which has led to hundreds of thousands of citizens fleeing to neighbouring African countries over the past three decades. Political conflict reignited in 2015 when President Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term in office, prompting protests from those who claimed he was violating the constitution.