What does Australian Citizenship Mean to You?

Before you take the Australian Citizenship Test and change your status from Australian resident to Australian citizen, ask yourself what exactly being an Australian citizen mean to you? What does becoming a citizen of this country do to you, your being, and your living? Why do you want to become a citizen of this country? Why is becoming an Australian citizen important to you?

You reside in Australia, but unless you become a citizen of it, you cannot call it home. By home, it means are a privileged individual who enjoy all the benefits it provides its people. By becoming an Australian citizen, you become equal with other citizens, may they be natural-born citizens or otherwise. Similarly, it means you abide to its laws, and enjoy its liberties and rights.

By becoming an Australian citizen, you are committing yourself to this country, what it represents, what it believes, what it stands, and what it fights for. On your part, it also means the willingness to represent the country, the dedication to stand for it, and the devotion to fight for it. Being a citizen of Australia means being a fighter of its rights, a protector of its resources, a promoter of its culture, and a follower of its tradition.

Being an Australian citizen, it means that you can speak in this democratic country, you can voice out what you believe is the best for the country, you can choose who you would want to see in governance, you can participate in institutions that promote the betterment for Australia and its people. It basically means that as a citizen, you can fully participate in the ways you know how in building the nation.

As a citizen of Australia, it means the willingness to work with other Australian citizens to uplift the nation. It means being responsible and being equal in obeying its laws. Being a citizen assures you that you are getting what everybody else is having the jobs, the properties, the businesses. It simply means being equal with everybody. It gives a sense of belongingness, a feeling of security, and having a place in the community.

Your meaning of becoming an Australian citizen may differ from others, but it all boils down to the love and commitment to this country. Being a long-time resident is not enough to express the gratitude of living in Australia being a citizen is the ultimate way to express appreciation of what this country offers to one's living and to one’s being. It is the sense of being one with the country and being one with its people--that is what becoming an Australian citizen is about.