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Calls grow for Quade Cooper to be granted Australian citizenship
By Sam Smith
Calls have grown for Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper to be granted Australian citizenship following his match-winning exploits against the Springboks over the weekend.
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In his first test for the Wallabies in four years on Sunday, Cooper stole the show as he guided his side around the park with aplomb and landed all eight of his kicks at goal, including the game-clincher in injury time, to help his side to a 28-26 win over the reigning world champions.
Cooper’s efforts in the shock result has not only drawn plenty of praise, but it has also renewed calls for the 33-year-old first-five to be granted Australian citizenship after he was denied a passport for his adopted nation earlier this year.
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Much fanfare was made after the New Zealand-born pivot revealed in July that his latest application to become an Australian citizen had been denied by the country’s government.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, Cooper had not provided evidence that he is a “persons engaging in activities of benefit to Australia”, nor is he a “persons engaged in particular kinds of work requiring regular travel outside of Australia”.
At the time, Cooper described the decision, which was confirmed by ‘Shannon’, a Department of Home Affairs employee who penned Cooper’s rejection letter, as “awkward” on Twitter.
Cooper’s rejected application came in spite of the fact that he had lived in Australia since moving there from New Zealand as a 13-year-old, and that he had, at the time, played 70 tests for the Wallabies.
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That number has since risen to 71 after last night’s appearance against South Africa on the Gold Coast, and onlookers have since taken to Twitter in their hoards to call on the Australian Government to grant Cooper citizenship in the wake of his heroics.
An online petition has even been launched with the aim of getting Cooper an Australian passport, while numerous social media users have expressed an eagerness for Shannon and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to overturn their ruling.
Petition · Give Quade Cooper his citizenship. · https://t.co/lCfVs57UY2 https://t.co/dtWFfAiUuk
— Green and Gold Rugby (@GAGR) September 12, 2021
Makes total sense that I qualify for Australian citizenship but Quade Cooper doesn’t…?????
— Carly Adno (@CarlyAdno226) September 13, 2021
After last night, hopefully ScoMo or someone has moved Quade Cooper’s application for Australian citizenship right to the top of the pile – priority service, I reckon! ? #Wallabies #RSAvAUS
— Kitch ?? (@kitchtrips) September 12, 2021
Stick this in the Australian citizenship application!
Quade Cooper!!!#RSAvAUS #Wallabies #TRC2021 pic.twitter.com/tEvEAi1KH3
— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) September 12, 2021
Quade Cooper should get Australian citizenship now.
— Simon Borchardt (@SimonBorchardt) September 12, 2021
Quade Cooper sang Advance Australia Fair. What more does the man have to do to get his Australian citizenship? #RSAvAUS
— Declan Keyes-Bevan (@deckeyesbevan) September 12, 2021
Wow. 8 out of 8 kicks for Quade Cooper on his return to the Wallabies. Maybe his Australian citizenship can be approved now? #AUSvRSA
— Karina Carvalho (@karina_carv) September 12, 2021
Happy for Quade Cooper.
Even happier if it changes the mind of whoever the wombat is that has denied him citizenship so far.— Adam Peacock (@adampeacock3) September 12, 2021
Man Quade Cooper’s interview post game, Fkn love this more mature Quade Cooper. He deserves his Citizenship ??? #RSAvAUS
— U4 (@PaulieMwayz) September 12, 2021
Someone get this man Quade Cooper his Australian citizenship #RSAvAUS
— Elijah Fa’afiu (@EliFaafiu3) September 12, 2021
Ok, I vote we give Quade Cooper citizenship. Who’s with me? #AUSvRSA
— Prof. Timothy Schmidt (@schmidtim) September 12, 2021
How is that person that denied Quade Cooper the citizenship feeling right now? #SSRugby
— #X (@nku6170) September 12, 2021
Does this mean Quade Cooper gets Australian citizenship now?
— Veronica Eggleton (@veggleton) September 12, 2021
I’m so happy for Quade Cooper.@ScottMorrisonMP GIVE HIM HIS CITIZENSHIP!!!!
— Thala Msutu (@ThalaMsutu77) September 12, 2021
In total, Cooper, who was born in Auckland and raised in Tokoroa before relocating to Brisbane as a teenager, has applied for Australian citizenship four times since 2015, all of which have been rejected.
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He has subsequently spent his career playing for the Wallabies while carrying a New Zealand passport, which cost him the chance to represent Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics as athletes can only represent countries of which they hold citizenship.
Despite his inability to compete at the Olympics, Cooper looks set to stay in the green and gold jersey after Wallabies boss Dave Rennie said there was no reason his star man can’t make it to the 2023 World Cup following his display against the Springboks.
