Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting this amendment. The children’s parents have made a conscious decision to renounce their Australian citizenship. At the time of doing so, they could have had no expectation of being able to resume it without migrating to Australia and applying for citizenship in the same way as any other migrant would. As the senator would well know, the Senate report stated:

... that this matter has been fully considered by the Government over a number of years and that renunciation is properly regarded as a more significant and conscious relinquishing of the bonds of allegiance to Australia.

Significantly, the bill also removes the 25-year age limit for the resumption of citizenship for people who have renounced their Australian citizenship. Former citizens who resume their Australian citizenship can also sponsor non-citizen family members, including their children, for migration to Australia. We will not be supporting the amendment

Question negatived.