Output 2.3 Australian citizenship

Overview

This output has two components:

2.3.1 Decisions on citizenship status

2.3.2 Promotion of the value of Australian citizenship

Highlights

Introduction of new legislation

Landmark legislative changes were introduced on 1 July 2007 when the new Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (the Act) and the Australian Citizenship (Transitionals and Consequentials) Act 2007 came into effect replacing the Australian Citizenship Act 1948. The Act provides better structured and easier to understand citizenship law.

The amendments included:

• changes to the residence requirement for applicants for conferral of Australian citizenship from two years permanent residence to four years lawful residence, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident (those who became permanent residents prior to the introduction of the Act remain subject to the previous residence requirement if they apply for citizenship prior to 1 July 2010)
• provision for children who are adopted under full and permanent Hague Convention arrangements to be registered as Australian citizens
• removal of the age limits for registration of citizenship by descent and resumption of citizenship
• provision for the conferral of citizenship to children born after a parent automatically lost their Australian citizenship on the acquisition of another.

Citizenship test

On 1 October 2007, further changes were introduced to the Act to give effect to a citizenship test. It now requires most applicants for conferral of citizenship who are aged between 18 and 60 to complete a citizenship test successfully before making an application.

Since 1 October 2007, the citizenship test has been administered in all 13 departmental offices around Australia. In partnership with Medicare Australia and Centrelink, this network expanded in November 2007 to cover an additional 34 regional centres across Australia. The citizenship test is also administered in immigration offices at overseas posts on request.

Citizenship test review

On 28 April 2008, the minister announced the appointment of an independent Citizenship Test Review Committee. It was commissioned to examine the operation of the citizenship test after six months and determine ways to improve its operation and its effectiveness as the pathway for residents to become Australian citizens. The review involved extensive public consultations including written submissions, nationwide community consultations, small group discussions and meetings with a number of key stakeholders and English language testing experts.

The review committee’s report is being considered by the government. Following its public release, the report will be available on the citizenship test review website at www.citizenshiptestreview.gov.au.

Citizenship promotion

Promotion of Australian citizenship continued through public relations activities throughout the year. Key highlights included special citizenship ceremonies to mark the introduction of the new Act on 1 July 2007, Citizenship Day on 17 September 2007, Australia Day 2008 and Refugee Week from 15 to 21 June 2008. A public information campaign to inform the Australian community about the new citizenship test was launched on 17 September 2007 and put on hold on 14 October 2007 in accordance with federal election caretaker conventions.

Citizenship applications and conferral

Following a record year in 2006–07, 116 831 decisions on citizenship status, including applications for conferral, descent and resumption, were made in 2007–08. Of those, 107 662 people were approved as Australian citizens. Of this number, 92 601 were citizens approved for conferral, which is a 39.8 per cent decrease from 2006–07. This is an expected downturn following record numbers in 2006–07. It is anticipated that application numbers will steadily increase during 2008–09.

Australia Day 2008 saw more than 14 000 people from 114 countries become Australian citizens at 321 ceremonies across the nation, including a ‘mega- ceremony’ in Western Australia where 1313 new citizens were personally conferred by the minister.