A recent SBS report transported me back to primary school days when the entire school saluted the flag and recited a pledge of loyalty to the flag, Queen and country at outdoor assemblies. All but one pupil was required to conform in my school ; he was a Jehovah's Witness, exempted from the ceremony and invited to stand against the wall and watch. Standing against the wall was also the punishment for talking or mucking about during the assembly, so the exemption seemed more like punishment.

SBS reported that Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton told the National Press Club that there was a place for the pledge in a “broader rejuvenated civics effort with school-aged children, regardless of their background”. People becoming Australian citizens are obliged to read out the pledge of loyalty.

For people who don't remember this, or the National Anthem (then God Save the Queen) being played at the end of television for the night, or standing in a cinema for God Save the Queen before the pictures started, might find this sort of thing quite odd. But it was real life then, and not without merit. Peter Dutton thinks that it “behoves” us to “reaffirm our nation's core values”.

Would it be good for Australia to return – in some way – to regular expressions of loyalty – or not?

Good for this insentient creature called "Australia" and bad for its victims - ordinary people who happened to be born and live in this continent and were never asked whether or not they agree to have anything to do with that beast.

The Australian Citizenship Oath or Affirmation tries
to capture the essence of what it means to be
Australian. It reads as follows:

"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."

To be an Australian citizen one pledges loyalty first to
Australia. One pledges to share certain beliefs - democratc
beliefs - to respect the rights and liberty of others and
to respect the rule of law.

There is a lot of sense in this pledge.

Unless we have a consensus of support about how we will form
our legislatures and an agreement to abide by its laws, none
of us will be able to enjoy our rights and liberties without
being threatened by others. We have a compact to live under
a democratic legislature and obey the laws it makes.

In doing this the rights and liberties of all are protected.

Foxy,
Everyone that applies for a visa to come here is informed of our basic laws and our social standards, well before they get the visa.

One wonders why then do we continue to allow in and give permanent residency to people from those groups that have no intention of obeying our laws and hold our standards in contempt.

That should be the first step in reducing immigration.

Dear Banjo,

Before becoming an Australian people are asked
to subscribe to certain values. If they have
strong objections to those values they should
not come to Australia.

We need to be very clear on these issues.

It is important to explain our values, explain
why they are important. Ultimately, however it is
important that they know that there is only one
law and it is going to be enforced whether they
acknowledge its legitimacy or not.

We must be very clear on this point. This is not
optional. We expect all who call themselves Australians
to subscribe to them. Loyalty, democracy, tolerance, the
rule of law - values worth promoting, values worth
defending. The values of Australia and its citizens.

pledges mean very little. Look at the number of pollies displaying total self interest over the good of the nation. They all made pledges. Kids need discipline and to be taught character not empty pledges.