Illegal boat people

This obnoxious prime minister loves pressing the paranoia button about asylum seekers being illegal boat people.  They aren't but the bogans and the government don't really care, it scares people and gives them votes.


While playing with Tony Abbott's British citizenship I read a lot and heard a lot of rumours and deduced certain things relating to his relatives.

One was that his Mum renounced her Australian citizenship to get British for the ten pound pom boat trip so I asked and finally got an email from the UK national Archives.

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Dear Mr Magrathea,

Thank you for contacting The National Archives of the United Kingdom.

We have a name index to the duplicate certificates of citizenship 1949 – 1986, which I have searched on your behalf but unfortunately I could find no entry for Fay Abbott/Peters, born 23 May 1933

Duplicate certificates with numbers of 2,000,000 and above which were issued before October 1986 have not survived and if no index card is found, then there is no further documentation we can provide. For further advice, please contact the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). The UKVI hold a complete set of index records for certificates in the 2,000,000 range

In carrying out a search of the relevant documents using the information you have provided, we have met our requirements under the Freedom of Information Act. Since most British citizens go on to apply for British passports, details of the certificate may have been submitted with a previous passport application, you may wish to contact HM Passport Office through their website or on 0300 222 0000 to look in to this.

Duplicate certificates for a grant of British citizenship (citizenship of the United Kingdom and colonies or British subject status) made from October 1986 onwards are held by the UK Visas and Immigration - not The National Archives. Use the request form on the UK Visas and Immigration website to request a duplicate certificate. Completed request forms should be sent to the UKVI not to The National Archives.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Strawbridge

Remote Enquiries Duty Officer
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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So mum didnt get British citizenship but did get assisted passage back to Australia, does that make her an illegal boat person?  I believe it is way past the use by date, the statute of limitations, for immigration matters, but does go to show that this sort of thing is probably genetic.  ie bend the truth to lie whichever way you think looks nice.  Our very own Australian National Archives lists her as getting assisted passage, the dreaded ten pound pom boat trip.  From googling I think the cost was about  ₤1500 which is about ₤24,000 in today values, about $48,000 Aussie dollars.  The value of the trip may be a return journey, the page I googled wasn't specific on that.

Back in 1961 the Minister for Immigration was Alick Downer, his son became High Commissioner in London in Mach 2014.  Was that appointment of Alex payback for Alick allowing an illegal boat person to get the ten pound pom boat trip? 

and again that bit at the bottom of my blogs