11 September 2009 Michael Klapdor, Moira Coombs and Catherine
Bohm Social Policy and Law and Bills Digest Sections Australian
citizenship was created through the Nationality and Citizenship
Act 1948, and came into effect 26 January 1949, soon after the
post-war mass migration program was launched (in 1945). Prior to
1949, Australians could only hold the status of British
subjects. The development of Australian citizenship has been
intertwined with immigration since Federation. This relationship
has developed formally through government administrative
structures and has been demonstrated in the way that changes to
citizenship law have reflected changes in immigration policies.
The success of the migration program has been consistently
linked to citizenship outcomes for migrants. The original
intention of Australia’s migration program was that the
country’s population would be increased approximately one per
cent per year through natural increase, and one per cent through
migration. By 1949, net overseas migrat