A deeper look at revoking citizenship

We might also consider the inspiration for the proposed changes, the 2014 amendments made to the UK British Nationality Act 1981. One of the key proponents of that law, UK immigration minister Mark Harper, who, when the British parliament passed a law authorising the denationalisation of those suspected of involvement in terrorist activity overseas, remarked: "Citizenship is a privilege, not a right."

Some see this as a national security issue; others as an example of the Liberal Party trying to play wedge politics against labor. I would argue that the roots of this law run deeper. It represents a paradigm shift away from a post-war concern for the politically disenfranchised towards a post-9-11 concern about the politically radicalised.

So what?, you might ask. For many, perhaps most Australians, these laws seem necessary to protect against a very real danger of terrorist attacks on our own soil. Perhaps.

But there is always a danger in a climate of fear that we jettison basic convictions about liberty for the sake of allaying visceral concerns for our own safety. At the very least, we should be aware of the contentious territory that we are moving into; a paradigm shift that conflicts with crucial lessons learnt in the drama of 20^th Century political history.