 Michael Mansell with early version Aboriginal Passport | ||
| A passport is an international travel document. Passport use and acceptance is governed by both law and politics. Countries may choose to recognise and accept as a valid document of identity the passport of one person wishing to enter the country but may reject others. Australia refuses to sanction the Aboriginal Passport and officials require the Australian passport or some other form of identification for smooth re-entry. This is political and may be illegal under Ausrtralian law.
While it is possible to travel overseas with the Aboriginal Passport, the Australian passport should still be carried with you as a backup. The Aboriginal Passport has been used in Europe and north and south America. It has also been used by Aborigines re-entering Australia, but not without some form of harrassment. It is used domestically at government and private departments for identification purposes. There is no guarantee however that any such departments will recognise the passport, and you should have backup indentification in these situations also. The Aboriginal Passport is a document issued by the Aboriginal Provisional Government as part of its policy of acting Sovereignty. The act of presenting an Aboriginal Passport to airports in other countries and re-entering Australia shows you are committed to the principle that the Aboriginal nation is a seperate nation, and that Aboriginal people have inherent independent rights, including having a sepearte passport. Any Aboriginal person who provides details of a recognised Aboriginal organisation to confirm your Aboriginality is invited to apply for the Aboriginal Passport. Application forms will be sent to you by calling or writing to the Aboriginal Provisional Government at :- |