EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
STATUTORY RULES 1982 NO. 118
Issued by the Authority of the
Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs
Section 53 of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 empowers the Governor-General to make regulations, not inconsistent with the Act, prescribing all matters which by the Act are required or permitted to be prescribed, or which are necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
Sub-section 7(1) of the Act provides that Australian citizens and the citizens of certain other countries have the status of British subjects in Australia.
Sub-section 7(2) lists those countries and also provides that other countries may be declared by the regulations to be countries to which Section 7 applies. The repealed regulation 5A of the Australian Citizenship Regulations declared that the countries listed in that regulation were countries to which Section 7 of the Act applies. Those countries are
countries which were formerly colonies of the United Kingdom except the Republic of Vanuatu which was formerly a condominium administered jointly by the British and French governments. Upon receiving independence those countries became members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Prior to 21 September 1981, Belize was a colony of the United Kingdom. On 21 September 1981, Belize received independence and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The new regulation 5A adds Belize to the list of countries already declared to be countries to which Section 7 of the Act applies, thus granting citizens of Belize the status of British subjects in Australia, a status enjoyed by citizens of all other members of the Commonwealth of Nations.