Citizenship
Becoming a citizen brings with it significant rights and responsibilities which enable individuals to participate in all aspects of Australian society. Citizenship is an important rite of passage for migrants seeking to embrace Australia and the many opportunities that this country provides.
In view of the importance of citizenship and the human rights principles that should be taken into account in considering the introduction of a citizenship test, HREOC made a submission to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in 2006 in response to the Discussion Paper Australian Citizenship: Much more than just a ceremony.
HREOC submitted there that there was inadequate justification for overturning the current system and that there had been inadequate consideration of the negative impact of introducing a citizenship test on particular groups of people within our society.
HREOC also made a submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in its Inquiry into the Australian Citizenship Amendments (Citizenship Testing) Bill 2007.
