Australian citizenship changes welcomed

The Emigrants' Commission and the Friends of Australia Association congratulated Australian Minister for Citizenship and Cultural Affairs, Gary Hardgrave, for recent changes to the Australian Citizenship Act, benefiting migrants who for some reason had lost their citizenship.

The Emigrants' Commission said this Act gave those who lost their Australian citizenship when they acquired another country's citizenship and those who renounced their Australian citizenship to acquire or retain another citizenship the possibility to resume their Australian citizenship, if they were of good character.

The law gave these same advantages to children born of former Australian citizens; children born of at least a parent who was an Australian parent at the time of birth; children born of a parent who acquired citizenship by descent and who lived in Australia as a lawful citizen for a total of two years.