Division Description Changes — Regulations and Determinations — Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Instrument 2017, Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Amendment Instrument 2017; Disallowance — 13th Nov 2017

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senate vote 2017-11-13#1

Edited by mackay staff

on 2018-01-19 16:46:26

Title

  • Regulations and Determinations — Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Instrument 2017, Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Amendment Instrument 2017; Disallowance
  • Regulations - Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Instrument 2017 and another - Disallow

Description

  • <p class="speaker">Mathias Cormann</p>
  • <p>I won't hold up the Senate up for long. The government opposes the disallowance motion. The Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code provides:</p>
  • <p class="italic">Citizenship ceremonies are non-commercial, apolitical, bipartisan and secular. They must not be used as forums for political, partisan or religious expression &#8230;</p>
  • The majority voted against a [motion](http://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2017-11-13.129.2) to disallow two instruments. If this motion had been successful then the two instruments would have stopped having legal force.
  • Senator [Nick McKim](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/nick_mckim) explained that:
  • > *This disallowance motion obviously relates to the actions of two councils in Victoria that quite appropriately and after deep consultation with their local communities made a decision not to conduct citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.*
  • ### Motion text
  • > *That the following legislative instruments, made under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007, be disallowed:*
  • >> *(a) the [Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Instrument 2017](https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017L01044/Explanatory%20Statement/Text) [F2017L01044]; and*
  • >> *(b) the [Citizenship (Authorisation) Revocation and Authorisation Amendment Instrument 2017](https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017L01074/Explanatory%20Statement/Text) [F2017L01074].*
  • <p>In August, the Darebin and Yarra city councils passed motions cancelling their Australia Day citizenship ceremonies to protest the practice of holding Australia Day on 26 January. They also endorsed the #changethedate campaign and defied a warning from the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection that their motions seriously breached the code. Assistant Minister Hawke responded by revoking the councils' authority to preside over citizenship ceremonies. We believe, in all of the circumstances, this disallowance motion is inappropriate and should not be supported by the Senate.</p>
  • <p class='motion-notice motion-notice-truncated'>Long debate text truncated.</p>