Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017

The majority voted in favour of a motion to agree with the bill's main idea. In parliamentary jargon, they voted to read the bill for a second time. This means that they are now able to discuss the bill in greater detail.

What is the bill's main idea?

The bill takes a more restrictive approach to granting Australian citizenship to new applicants. According to the bills digest, the bill:

contains a number of new amendments regarding citizenship policy. For applicants seeking Australian citizenship by conferral, the Bill proposes:

• an increase in the English language requirement from basic to competent
• the extension of the general residency requirement to four years of permanent residence
• the requirement to demonstrate integration into the Australian community
• the replacement of the pledge of commitment with a proposed pledge of allegiance and
• changes to the eligibility provisions of the citizenship test.

Other changes made by the bill are discussed at length in the bills digest.