Glenn Keogh, a native Australian who had never lived abroad, made a startling discovery that he was no longer an Australian citizen after 33 years. This revelation came to light when he learned that registering his Irish heritage with the Irish government at 22 inadvertently led to the loss of his Australian citizenship, unbeknownst to him. The now 55-year-old Mr Keogh received Irish citizenship and a passport, which led to the invalidation of his Australian identity documents, triggering a series of events that resulted in the loss of his citizenship status.
Upon learning of his lost citizenship, Glenn Keogh reached out to the media, including appearing on ABC Radio Melbourne to share his story. His case garnered public attention, prompting the office of the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, and Multicultural Affairs to investigate and subsequently restore his Australian citizenship. However, the underlying issue of the outdated legislation that caused his citizenship loss remains unresolved, highlighting inconsistencies in the citizenship laws and bureaucratic processes.
Glenn Keogh's experience sheds light on a lesser-known law, Section 17 of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948, which stripped Australians of their citizenship if they acquired citizenship from another country. While this law was repealed in 2002, it was not applied retroactively, leaving individuals like Mr Keogh and others in limbo. Despite efforts to rectify his citizenship status, Mr Keogh faced challenges in communication with immigration officials and emphasized the need for legislative changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.