Responsibilities and Privileges
When my application to become an Australian was being reviewed, I was required to recite two or three of my “responsibilities and privileges” under the law. It’s a responsibility for example, to vote and to keep my enrolment current. It’s a responsibility to defend the country, too, if called upon to do so (a nice mirror to my privilege of being eligible to join any of the branches of the military). It’s a privilege that, if I were to get in trouble with the law overseas, I could have recourse to ambassadorial assistance. So it’s surprising to me to hear the government now arguing before the High Court that the government has no obligation to assist David Hicks. It sounds like a losing argument to me, but then I take my civic responsibilities seriously and expect my privileges to be honored in the same spirit.