Wednesday, April 19, 2017

What is an Australian citizen?

Yer, i know, has been much in the 'news' recently - mostly relating to a change in the definition of a "457" visa.

Assume that i was NOT born in Australia, from parents that were actually born in Australia (none of whom have"papers" to "prove" that we are "citizens" - yer, well - apart from birth certificates).
Assume that my "Grandparents" have 'birth' certificates  that are difficult to discover (there was no 'internet discovery'  back then).
Does that make an "invalid"  Australian citizen? (yer, i know, two meanings 'invalid' or invalid).
 
Um, and also assuming that am competent in the language "English", have many "work experiences"  - in Australia ... am presuming that i qualify to be able to "work" in Australia, as a 'citizen'.
However, there seemed to be, somewhere around 2007,  some sort of  "use by" date tattooed on my forehead.

Ah, forgive me, am trying to figure out how this Federal Prime Minister and 'cabinet' Ministers define "citizens". (yep. was born in Australia - some time before our current Prime Minister was born).

Cutting a longish essay short - since have written about this before, and, as a traveller around, lived and worked in many places in Australia - find that there are many 'communities' where am considered an "outsider". If i cannot point to my grandparents headstone in the local graveyard - am considered a "tourist" - or, if i hang about in the vicinity for more than 6 years - remain a tolerated "outsider".

So, again cutting a longish essay short - it may take many 'generations', and re generations of children from migrants, and their children, and their children- to eventually construct what will eventually become the "peoples of Australia".

And this, basically, is what the  British English heritage "conservative" peoples are afraid of.

 There is more to Australia than fine China tea cups, imported American media influence,  and imported trees.

And yep, was never 'trained' by my parents into any "ritual belief". The animals on the farm did what they needed to do.



(to be continued)

Perhaps not ... am still trying to understand what, exactly, this local lot of "Conservative" aka 'Liberal/National Coalition' bunch of Federal Roman Imperial church dickhead politicians actually mean by "all citizens have to subscribe to AUSTRALIAN VALUES".
 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?



1 comment:

Davoh said...

Ooer, this post is attracting overseas traffic --- hang about; will try to explain ... but ya sort of hafta be here t get th joke ... heh.