Let’s Talk: What should our new Oath of Allegiance say?

It’s expected Tony Abbott will announce today that terrorist sympathisers will lose their Australian citizenship. Another feature of the bill, which was approved by Cabinet last night, is the re-wording of the Australian Oath of Allegiance.

According to the Daily Telegraph, a draft of the citizenship pledge will be put to the public before any changes are made.

An Oath of Citizenship is taken by immigrants as part of the citizenship ceremony that officially naturalises immigrants into citizens. It is designed to be a statement of loyalty and patriotism to the new country. The Australian Oath currently reads:

From this time forward, under God,
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect,
and whose laws I will uphold and obey.

While the reason for the update is pretty grim, it’s a good opportunity to take a look at this important piece of the citizenship process and make sure it is worded correctly.