Following a letter from Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill to 537 councils across the country on 22 September, citizenship ceremonies are set to become larger and more frequent over the next 12 months.
The move will aim to reduce delays and backlogs in officially granting Australian citizenship to applicants who have already been approved by the Department of Home Affairs.
The Star Mail reached out to all Outer East councils to gauge how often they currently hold ceremonies for new residents to their region and whether they are ready to ramp them up.
A Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said they host Citizenship Ceremonies every six weeks, on average.
“At these events, between 50-60 community members who have applied for Australian Citizenship and have been formally approved take the final step to becoming an Australian citizen by taking the Pledge of Commitment,” they said,
“We believe that our ceremonies have a personal approach and we regularly receive positive feedback from our newest citizens and their families,”
“Our waitlist for ceremonies is generally about three to four months, from the time approval is granted by the Department of Home Affairs.”
According to department data that is updated monthly, there are currently 217 approved applicants in the Yarra Ranges with 65 per cent having waited less than three months and 35 per cent having waited between three and six months since their approval for a ceremony.
The Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said that the Federal Government has indicated that, with their new streamlined approval process, Councils will need to accommodate a much larger number of new citizens taking this final step.
“We will endeavour to meet this increased demand, through larger and more frequent ceremonies,” they said.
“Citizenship ceremonies are an important part of our calendar and are deeply valued by both Council and the community,”
“We look forward to working with the Department of Home Affairs, to welcome our new Australian citizens to the Yarra Ranges – a new place to proudly call home.”
The shift to speeding and sizing up ceremonies is focused on improving efficiency, reducing processing times overall and particularly supporting the increase in New Zealanders who are choosing to take up Australian citizenship.
Knox Mayor Lisa Cooper said the council continues to seek full and ongoing funding from the Australian Government to deliver citizenship ceremonies on their behalf.
“By the end of this year, it is expected Council will have conducted citizenship ceremonies for over 1,000 people across 2025,” she said.
“Next year, Council plans to increase the number of citizenship ceremonies for our newest citizens.”
There are currently 551 approved applicants in Knox with 68 per cent having waited less than three months and 32 per cent having waited between three and six months.
Cardinia Shire Council Mayor Jack Kowarzik said Cardinia Shire Council currently holds citizenship ceremonies monthly, welcoming approximately 100 new residents each time.
“The ceremonies are a proud and meaningful celebration where new citizens make their pledge alongside their family and friends,” he said.
“The frequency of ceremonies is determined by waitlist numbers provided by the Department of Home Affairs,”
“As our community continues to grow and more residents choose to call Cardinia Shire home, Council will continue to monitor and adapt its citizenship ceremony processes to accommodate waitlist numbers.”
There are currently 424 approved applicants in Cardinia with 96 per cent having waited less than three months, three per cent having waited between three and six months and one per cent more than six months.
Maroondah City Council were contacted for comment.
There are currently 215 approved applicants in Maroondah with 95 per cent having waited less than three months and five per cent having waited between three and six months.
Another recent effort to streamline the citizenship process has been consolidating application streams into national caseloads, ensuring the process is more consistent and reducing delays due to administrative activities.
Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill said it’s a wonderful thing when people who have been living here for years decide to formalise their commitment to Australia by becoming citizens.
“Citizenship is an enormously significant moment in a person’s life and when someone meets the requirements of citizenship the Government expects councils to welcome them to a ceremony promptly,” he said.
