Pity poor Russell Crowe, spurned first by his own flesh and blood, and then by the very country from whose fertile loins his own acting career burst forth.
It has come to light today that the gruff actor, who we happily claim as our own, even though he was born in New Zealand, has had applications for Australian citizenship rejected on not one but two occasions.
That’s twice. Two times.
Fairfax report that the 50-year-old Crowe, who moved to Australia with his family in 1968, had citizenship applications rejected in 2006 and 2013, and he’s had it up to here.
“I’ve been voted one of Australia’s 50 national treasures,” he fumed in a recent Radio Times interview. “I’ve even had my face on an Australian stamp, the only non-Australian to do so, apart from the Queen, of course.”
The reason behind all this is a very specific hitch in Australian law, which would appear to complicate the process for Kiwis.
“No matter how long you’d been in the country, if you weren’t in Australia for the majority of 2000 to 2002, when I was particularly busy filming overseas, you can’t become a citizen.”
TBH, we’re no lawyers – we’re not even maritime ones – but as we understand it, the problem involves the Special Class Visa that is given to New Zealanders on arrival in Australia.
To qualify for citizenship, Crowe, in possession of said Visa, needed to be in the country on the oddly specific date of February 26, 2001, or for a period totaling 12 months in the two years immediately prior.
Apparently, old mate Maximus can still apply again if he wants, citing “special circumstances.” All we can say is, if the Abbott government can do a single damn thing right, they can give him a break. The letter-writing campaign to your local MP starts now.
Photo: Gareth Copley via Getty Images
