Becoming Australian

Today is a very important day in my life. Today I will become an Australian citizen.

I will retain my American citizenship; both countries permit dual citizenship. My decision to become an Australian citizen has nothing to do with my feelings about the United States. My feelings about the country of my birth are not diminished.

I am doing this because I love Australia and her people. Australia is my home now - and becoming a citizen solidifies and legalizes the commitment that I feel to this country. It is an important step, a deeply emotional one. It is a step that fills me at once with strong feelings of pride, belonging, and community.

And so today I will make the Pledge of Commitment:

From this time forward, under God, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.