Citizenship and Terrorism: A Critical Analysis of the 2015 Australian Citizenship Act Amendments
28 Pages Posted: 29 Aug 2016
Date Written: June 21, 2016
Abstract
On the last sitting day of 2015, Australia’s Federal Parliament passed the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill 2015 (Cth). This Bill introduced three new avenues for terror-related cessation of citizenship. There has been considerable debate over the appropriateness and effectiveness of these provisions, yet Australia is not the only country to adopt such an approach. This raises the question of why states are pursuing citizenship cessation to deal with terror threats.
The purpose of this research paper is three-fold. First, it examines the relevant provisions of the Citizenship Bill and historical connection between crime and citizenship. This is followed by a critique of whether the justifications adopted by the Australian government to buttress citizenship revocation laws align with the enacted legislation. Finally, the paper assesses the implications of the Citizenship Bill for Australia’s compliance with its international human rights and security obligations.
Keywords: Law, citizenship, human rights
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