Less than a month after I started the process... I'm now a fully fledged Aussie with a certificate to prove the fact.

After the initial steps in the application this process was very simple and well organised - and while formal it was nice to see a touch of the Aussie larrikin humor and respect for authority.

Sadly I was unable to immediately indulge in a stubby and a meat pie (probably a capital offense with my new status) as I had other errands to run, but I'll probably feel less guilty next time I do.

As Australia is very proud of its democratic nature (ironic considering the type of politicians the public keep voting in) no sooner did we have our certificates than we were required to register to vote. Yet more paperwork to clog the country down. But what this process doesn't do is deliver the one useful document for most people... a passport. No. That's a whole seperate application process in its own right. Is it just me or could this process do with a little bit of a review? Of course, now I'm allowed to run for public office and do something about these very things... I probably won't (for the very same reasons that I got citizenship in the first place).

So, tomorrow it's off to start the passport application process. Must take a nice pen with me. 

Luckily as a Brit I am allowed to maintain dual citizenship because it would be hard to leave that very important part of my heritage behind... so I get a nice choice of paperwork when I'm travelling