Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Makin for bringing this very important private member's motion to the Chamber for consideration and debate. I want to agree with him in the raising of concerns about the backlog and the length of time to acquire citizenship that the member for Goldstein spoke about in such glowing terms for many people, and for many people in my electorate as well.

Citizenship is the fundamental glue that binds our community and enables our process of integration. Becoming an Australian citizen for each and every person marks the beginning of their journey and building their Australian identity. The sense of belonging to the broader Australian community is marked by the privileges and responsibilities assigned to each and every citizen equally without favour or discrimination. These shared equal rights and responsibilities have contributed to the success of nation building in this country, and it is the reason we are the successful multicultural society that we are today.

Most importantly, citizenship confers the right to vote, having a say in the shaping of our community through the participation in our Australian democracy. I came into this place many years ago under the Howard government. I remember well that that government understood the need to encourage migrant and refugees living in Australia to become citizens as soon as possible. In fact through the establishment of the Australian Citizenship Council and the appointment of citizenship ambassadors, the Howard government sought to encourage everyone, often through very unique citizenship ceremonies, to join what was called the Australian family.

However, the track record of this government is a far cry from that of the Howard government. Because, under this government's watch, the citizenship process has been, and continues to be, mired in backlog and unreasonable delay—and the member for Goldstein did refer to the integrity of Australian citizenship, which we all support. But this government has taken this sense of integrity to the point where people are actually being prevented from becoming Australian citizens. And this is the problem and this is why this motion is being debated here today.

I too attend citizenship ceremonies in my electorate. It's something that I too look forward to doing. I've attended countless citizenship ceremonies in the years that I have been here in this parliament. So, in my electorate in particular, in the federal seat of Calwell—and I thank the member for Makin for actually making reference to Arthur Calwell, who introduced the Australian Nationality and Citizenship Act and had a very strong belief in the power of Australian citizenship being that which brought together the diversity of the migration program that he implemented towards our nation building—over the years, we have had a very big uptake of citizenship. I do also attend and see the sense of pride and the great sense of optimism in the people whose citizenship certificates I present or whose hand I shake. When I do get to congratulate them, I always ask them where they've come from and what their hopes and aspirations are, and almost all of them talk about how important it feels for them to finally belong to the Australian community and have full and equal membership of the Australian community.

In recent times, I too have received many—I won't say complaints—expressions of sheer frustration from people who have been waiting for confirmation of the citizenship process. Some of them have been waiting for as much as 35 months. They're no wiser as to why they have been subjected to this very lengthy period. Many of them have fled war-torn countries. They're grateful to be here in Australia. They're grateful for the safety and the security that settling here in our country offers them. They're grateful for the ability to live in a democratic country and for the opportunities afforded to them. They work hard in their community to make their place and to find their place. They want to be able to share our freedoms and obligations in a way that's equal to the other people in the community. In the time that I have left, I just want to reiterate the member for Makin's point—citizenship under this government is one of almost selective discrimination. It's either incompetence or it's deliberate, but the actual slowing down of the process has marred the citizenship process. (Time expired)

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