Voting

In 1966 my parents became Australian citizens. I came home from school that day to be told that now I was an Australian citizen too. I was under 16 (just) so I had automatically become Australian. What!! I hadn't been asked and I hadn't been at the ceremony. I felt peeved at the time because I had wanted to make my own decision.

Before I turned 18 I registered to vote and in 1969 I turned up with my parents at the Mosman town hall to vote in the federal election for the very first time.

"You must vote Liberal," my parents told me. "If you vote Labor you are voting for communism and we know all about communism, that's why we left East Germany".

As I walked into the polling booth for the first time I was filled with a delicious sense of freedom. I could make my own decision. Nobody was in the booth telling me what to do. I had always been an obedient child and had always done what my parents told me, but now it was truly my time. I voted. I can't for the life of me remember who I voted for but I do know it wasn't Liberal!

Since then I have voted many times and now, being very interested in politics, hope that my decisions have been more considered than all those years ago.

In 1988 my husband and I wanted to travel to Europe so I applied for a passport at the post office. My application was denied as I wasn't an Australian citizen. How was that possible? I had a search made of my parents' original documents. It turns out my father wasn't too good at filling out forms. He had been told that any children under the age of 16 would automatically be made citizens, however he had neglected to actually record my name in the appropriate section. Because I had been born in India of German parents who may or may not have registered my birth with the German consulate I was now considered stateless, an alien. Everyone apart from me thought this hilarious.

My husband was able to call in a favour and my citizenship application was pushed to the front of the queue. I had to go and fill out some forms and much to my shock discovered I had to pass a citizenship test as well. Because I had been slipped to the front of the queue nobody had thought to give me the booklet to study and when I was asked the rights and obligations of an Australian citizen my mind went numb. Luckily the public servant who was conducting the interview saw my despair, bless him, so asked if I agreed with the following statements such as being entitled to a passport and being allowed back into the country after a
trip away, and being obliged to obey the laws of the country etc.

The citizenship ceremony I attended was held at the National Library with the federal Minister Roz Kelly presiding. Our girls enjoyed themselves very much particularly because they were allowed to have the day off school. I was given my citizenship certificate, and a wattle seedling and cried with such emotion when we sang the National Anthem that several new Australians sitting around me looked at
me with astonishment. Afterwards we went home and had a lovely party with friends and neighbours. So I did get to choose my nationality and have treasured being an Australian ever since.

How come I was able to vote for 20 years as an 'alien'? I wonder why my original registration hadn't been questioned. All my votes were invalid. Perhaps they should all be discounted - perhaps history would be changed!

Today was the ACT election and as I walked into the booth to vote I reflected on the fact that I was making my own decision. How fabulous to be free to be able to do so in this wonderful democracy.