John and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, and Multicultural Affairs (Citizenship)

The applicant, John, sought Australian citizenship by conferral. The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, and Multicultural Affairs refused his application, finding that he was not a person of good character. This decision was reviewed by Mrs J C Kelly, Senior Member, of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The central legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the applicant met the good character requirement for citizenship by conferral, as stipulated by section 21(2)(h) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 1948* (Cth). This required the Tribunal to assess the applicant's character in light of his past conduct, specifically concerning the import control of tobacco products.

The Senior Member concluded that the applicant had not demonstrated he was a person of good character. While the specific details of the applicant's conduct regarding tobacco imports are not elaborated, the decision indicates that this conduct was sufficient to prevent the Tribunal from being satisfied of his good character. Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the Minister's decision to refuse the application for citizenship.