Citizenship records from 1949, the first year the Nationality and Citizenship Act was in operation, will be presented by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to the National Archives of Australia tomorrow (July 9) in Brisbane as part of Constitution Day celebrations.
The register recorded the names and nationalities of people declaring their intention to be “naturalised” as Australians.
“Particularly during this 60th anniversary year of Australian citizenship, these 1949 records provide a fascinating snapshot of where people came from to settle in Queensland after World War II,” DIAC Secretary Andrew Metcalfe, who grew up in Toowoomba, said today.
“When the Citizenship Act was first introduced, people from non-Commonwealth countries who wanted to become an Australia citizen needed to register their intention with the department at least a year before they could be granted citizenship.”
The first entry from 1949 records the details of a Greek woman who was eligible to become an Australian citizen in 1951. The final entry from 1974 is of a Spanish man wanting to become a citizen in order to join the Royal Australian Air Force.
Most people listed in the register came from Eastern and Southern European countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Greece, Italy and the former Yugoslavia. As the years move on, the numbers of people registering their intention to become citizens steadily increase, and by the 1970s, a handful of people from non-European countries including Venezuela, Burma and the Philippines had registered.
“This record reminds us of how Australia’s migration program has changed over the past six decades,” Mr Metcalfe said.
In 2007-08, the largest numbers of new Australian citizens came from the United Kingdom (27 369), India (9053), China (8402), New Zealand (6806), South Africa (5490), Iraq (4216), the Philippines (3827), Afghanistan (3174), Sudan (3017), Sri Lanka (2921) and Malaysia (2712).
“DIAC is pleased to present this register to the National Archives of Australia where it will be properly preserved as part of Australia’s history,” the secretary said.
Note for editors: The historic register will be handed over during a special Constitution Day citizenship ceremony at the National Archives’ Brisbane office at 16 Corporate Drive, Cannon Hill, starting at 10am.
Media Enquiries: National Communications 07 3136 7669
