Citizenship is for all Australians. It
is a commitment of loyalty to Australia and its people and their shared
democratic beliefs, laws and rights. It is a bond uniting our culturally
diverse society. On 26 January this year almost 18,000
people became Australian citizens - a record
number.
The final
stage in the process of becoming an Australian citizen is making the Australian
Citizenship Pledge. It usually happens at a ceremony when new Australian
citizens make a public pledge of their commitment to Australia. All new
citizens have the choice of making the pledge with or
without the words 'under God'.
From this time forward, under God
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
Whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect, and
whose laws I uphold and obey.
whose rights and liberties I respect, and
whose laws I uphold and obey.
Australia's
three most recent Labor prime ministers - Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and Julia
Gillard - all used similar words and swore
allegiance to Australia and its people when they were sworn
in. But Tony Abbott, an avowed monarchist, reverted to the
previous pledge to the Queen, as did John Howard.
In late November and early December 2013, UMR and Essential Media surveyed 1000 voters who were told of the
different pledges by Australia’s prime
ministers and asked “Which do you prefer?” The survey found 70%
supported the pledge to Australia and its people, with only 19.5% agreeing with
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s pledge
to the Queen. 10.5% were unsure.
Professor
Geoff Gallop AC, Chair of the Australian Republican Movement, stated:
“The poll – and other recent UMR and
Essential Media surveys which found a consistent 32% support for monarchy - confirms monarchists represent a minority and that the
celebrity treatment of monarchy has failed to translate into support for the
retention of the monarchy in Australia. The Australian people are ahead of
current political leaders on this issue and this poll shows Australians are
ready to pledge allegiance to an Australian republic”.
On 26 January 1949, the legal
concept of Australian citizenship was created with the enactment of the Nationality
and Citizenship Act 1948, which was replaced by the Australian Citizenship
Act 2007. Bolstering of
Australia’s citizenship program in the
On 31 January1994 a different pledge
was introduced at Australian citizenship ceremonies that replaced the mandatory
pledge of loyalty to the Queen. On the 20th anniversary of the
Australian Citizenship Pledge, Professor Gallop reflected:
“The monarchy is clearly no longer an
institution that can unite Australians. It’s broken. The monarchy sits above
our system of democratic government but cannot represent us, our identity or
our values as a nation”.
In 2013 the
Australian Republican Movement re-launched with a listening campaign across the
country, asking people “What does it mean to be Australian?”
“The Australia we share is free, fair,
multicultural – and only a republic can truly unite us around those values”,
Professor Gallop said.
As
the year progressed the ARM saw membership grow by 30 per
cent, income double due to pledge and other donations, as well
as fundraising efforts, a 300 per cent increase in online support and renewed interest from young people with republic clubs established at
universities across Australia.
The
ARM is asking Australians through its website and social media to sign up to
the citizenship pledge and support a republic. It seems
Australians want to pledge
for Australia and not the Queen. It is only a republic that can truly unite
the people of Australia.
