Our Community

**Living in the Australian community** Australian citizenship means being part of a community. It involves both taking and giving — benefiting from the rights and privileges of citizenship, and contributing to society through your responsibilities. **Harmony and acceptance** Australia is one of the most diverse societies in the world. We celebrate diversity and aim for a harmonious, unified nation. Australians are expected to accept and respect people of different backgrounds, cultures, religions and lifestyles. **Rejecting violence and discrimination** Violence, intimidation and discrimination have no place in Australian society. Australians resolve disagreements through discussion, negotiation and the legal system — not through violence. **The separation of religion and government** The Australian government is **secular** — it operates separately from any religion. Where there is a conflict between Australian law and religious practice, **Australian law prevails**. This applies to everyone, regardless of their religion. **Gender equality in practice** Men and women have equal rights and equal status in Australia. Practices that discriminate against women or girls — including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, or domestic violence — are **illegal and unacceptable** in Australia. **The citizenship pledge** When you become an Australian citizen, you make the **Australian Citizenship Pledge**: *"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."* *(The words "under God" are optional.)* This pledge summarises the core of Australian values: loyalty, democratic beliefs, respect for rights and liberties, and obedience to the law. **Participating fully** Active citizenship means participating in community life — volunteering, joining organisations, voting, paying taxes and contributing to the society that Australia has built together. As the Australian Citizenship booklet says: "Citizenship is the common bond uniting us all."