Some 37 politicians (excluding six key Cabinet Ministers) rally behind Tony Abbott (‘Backbench tough on citizenship’,1 June) and his proposal to authorise the Minister for Immigration, rather than the courts, to strip terrorists of their Australian citizenship. What a trashing of the precious rule of law that would be, as well as of international law which ensures no human being may be rendered stateless.
I’m with Sami Shah (‘No need to revoke citizenship, just enforce our criminal laws’, Courier Mail, 1 June) in placing very high value on Australian citizenship, so much so that I want all Aussie-born teenagers who front up to the Electoral Commission for their right to vote after turning 18, to study the privileges and obligations of citizenship and pass the same Citizenship Test that all immigrants must pass. If civics was better taught in all high schools, we could actively consider lowering the voting age to 16 and engage young adults in our robust democracy for the betterment of Australia and the world.
– Frederika E Steen AM, CLA member, Chapel Hill Qld