In a move I have been anticipating for some time, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is now flagging that the Government will strip the citizenship of naturalised Australians convicted of terrorist offences:
The SMH quotes Downer’s comment to the ABC:
"It’s a difficult issue because on the one hand, naturally enough, people’s instinct would be to take someone’s citizenship away," Mr Downer told ABC radio.
"If you like they’ve betrayed our country by taking up arms against it, us having generously given them citizenship.
"On the other hand, there are all sorts of international legal issues that would have to be thought through.
"If you strip someone of citizenship you of course might leave them stateless.
"You might not, they might be dual citizens, and then in theory they could be returned to the country in which they have dual citizenship with if that country would accept them.
"So it wouldn’t necessarily be a simple matter of just getting rid of people that way."
Naturally, one of the terrorist offences which will cause one to lose their citizenship will be Howard’s idea of sedition, where you will be detained incommunicado on the mere suspicion of the police- and possibly even Parkinised.
Being that I am a dual US/Australian citizen, you can bet I am closely considering my options at this moment.
Do I:
A. Retain US citizenship and risk being deported to a country I have not lived in for 9 years nor even visited in about 5+ years… and never wish to live in again, certainly not with neo-cons in (alleged) control of the White House…
-or-
B. Renounce my US citizenship and be rendered stateless– and possibly incarcerated indefinitely in DIMIA hell- when Australia strips my naturalised citizenship for sedition, committed on this very blog. I lose the ability to vote in US federal elections and have to take the slow (non-citizen) queue at LAX, provided I ever get out of Baxter.
What’s your call? Hell or hell lite?
Since the 1958 reforms to the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948, Australian citizenship acquired by naturalisation has been deemed equivalent to that acquired by normal means. The only cause for revocation since 1958 is fraud in the course of the citizenship application. I don’t think I agreed not to voice my opinions when I filled out form 124, but perhaps I’ve missed something.
The mere suggestion by Minister Downer that naturalised citizenship may be stripped for terrorist offences, including the broadly discretionary sedition offences as proposed, do indeed give me second thoughts about what I write here- an undeniable chilling effect. This may be a direct infringement of what little assurances of freedom of expression we actually do have in Australia. Isn’t it about time for a Bill of Rights for all of Australia?
The proposal to once again make naturalised Australian citizenship a second class, red-headed stepchild to ‘regular’ citizenship means that the much vaunted cause of right wingers of assimilation of new citizens into Australian culture can never, ever happen. We will always be ‘other,’ never fully Australian, that is if we’re not simply deported. If Howard pulls this off, I never want to hear any complaints about enclaves of ethnicities in Australia ever again. May as well map out the ghettoes now.
Mind the fine print. John Howard lies.
-weez
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Oh my.
Do we have to start tunnelling to Canada from Australia now?
I could adopt you Weez, but that would make me a red haired single mother welfare bludger, a DSP welfare bludger not to mention a feminist, humanist, seditious Howard hating blogger. You could be arrested for knowing ME.
Comment by JahTeh 11.10.05 @ 6:21 pmSuki, tunnelling to Canada is both easier & more likely than anyone getting a fair trial on terrorism charges in Australia.
JT, wot’s a little guilt by association? 😉
Comment by weezil 11.10.05 @ 7:55 pmAfter a lifetime of taking the piss out of those Kiwi’s… I’d have to say that things are looking pretty attractive over there about now.
Comment by Marcus 11.11.05 @ 6:05 amDowner is an idiot to think that actual terrorist suicide bombers would have applied for Naturalisation in the first place. If they come for ya Weez you can hide in my attic and write the Diary Of A Frank Weezil.
Comment by Brownie 11.11.05 @ 7:02 pmGeez mate. I’m starting to wonder about this place.
The race baiting, and fear mongering is frightening.
All this theatre to get people to back a bill they wouldn’t if they were thinking.
I’m getting worried. About all of us migrants.
Hi Weez
Slightly better posititon than you, am British and have not yet taken up citizenship. As you know my I am heading off to pastures green ASAP, so I can spend the rest of life openly and freely telling everyone what a wanker Howard is.
Kate
Comment by Kate G 11.20.05 @ 12:59 pm[…] Now, I reckon that’s damn good value for money! Had DIMIA illegally incarcerated little old immigrant me, they’d be parting with a lot more than $75K. […]
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