Safety in citizenship.

There are large numbers of people living in this country who think they have the safety of citizenship - but are in fact liable to be deported in the event they are convicted of a serious crime.
Back in the dark days after the end of the second world war the United Kingdom was a miserable place to live. It was a land of shortages, rationing, bombed our suburbs and taxation at confiscatory levels.
Australia needed migrants to swell a dangerously small population - and so a deal was struck.
Migrants from the United Kingdom - and they came in their thousands - were given what was called " permanent residency status ". This was not citizenship but a halfway measure conferring " most valued migrant " status and allowed them to vote in Federal, state and municipal elections. Children borne in this country had immediate citizen status but those that arrived with their United Kingdom parents were included only as " permanent residents ".
It is probably a matter of British arrogance that few of these original settlers ever bothered to take out Australian citizenship - and many of their children who were born in the old country never appreciated that there was a difference between the two categories.
Now there are instances where the chickens are coming home to roost. This week one of those children with " permanent residency " was released from prison after serving his sentence for a particularly brutal murder. He was promptly seized by immigration and put on a plane back to England.
Those with " permanent residency " enjoy that status provided they are of good character and do not break any serious Australian laws. In the event that they do, their residency status is terminated - and they are subject to ejection back to the country that can not refuse them their right of citizenship.
For many, that country is totally unfamiliar and an alien place - with no relatives or friends remaining - but it is a warning that if you intend to live in a country for the term of your life it is a good idea to ensure that you take out full citizenship as soon as possible.