Hammoud and Minister for Home Affairs (Citizenship)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an application for Australian citizenship by conferral made by Mr Hammoud. The Minister for Home Affairs had refused the application, finding that Mr Hammoud did not satisfy the 'good character' requirement under section 21(2)(h) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 1948* (Cth) due to a criminal conviction for domestic violence.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether Mr Hammoud met the eligibility requirements for the conferral of Australian citizenship, specifically whether he was of good character as defined by the Act and relevant policy.

The Tribunal found that Mr Hammoud did not meet the requirements of section 21(2)(h) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 1948* (Cth). In reaching this conclusion, the Tribunal applied the principles of the Citizenship Policy, which considers criminal convictions, particularly those involving domestic violence, as relevant to the assessment of good character. The Tribunal affirmed the Minister's decision to refuse the application. The Tribunal noted that this finding did not prevent Mr Hammoud from making a future application.