Governor-general

Upon taking office, a Governor-General-designate is required under the letters-patent of the office to take the above Oath of Allegiance as well as a separate Oath of Office, in the presence of the Chief Justice or another Justice of the High Court.^[3] The current form of the oath of office as taken by David Hurley is,^[4]

I, (name), do swear that I will well and truly serve His Majesty King Charles the Third, His heirs and successors according to law, in the office of Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of the Commonwealth of Australia, without fear or favour, affection or ill will. So help me God!^[5]

Prime minister, ministers and parliamentary secretaries

In addition to swearing the Oath of Allegiance upon becoming a parliamentarian, the Prime Minister, ministers and parliamentary secretaries also recite an Oath of Office upon entering office. The wording of this oath is not prescribed within the constitution and is ultimately determined by the prime minister of the day. Traditionally, the oath has repeated the swearing of allegiance to the sovereign, although this is not required and every Labor prime minister since Paul Keating has not done so.^[6] The Oath of Office below recited by Anthony Albanese was notable for not mentioning God or the monarch:^[7]

I, Anthony Norman Albanese do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare that I will well and truly serve the Commonwealth of Australia, her land and her people in the office of Prime Minister.

Pledge of Commitment for citizenship

The wording of the Oath of Allegiance taken by newly naturalising Australian citizens has changed over time. Australian nationality was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948, which came into effect on 26 January 1949. British subjects could become Australian citizens after one year's residence in Australia as an immigrant by registration, and there was no requirement to attend a citizenship ceremony or take an oath of allegiance. Non-British subjects, on the other hand, were required to apply for naturalization, which had stricter requirements, including a five-year residency. They were required to attend a citizenship ceremony and swear an oath of allegiance, which was:

I, A. B; swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George the Sixth, his heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil my duties as an Australian citizen.

In 1966, the Holt government added the clause "renouncing all other allegiance" to the oath,^[9] though there was no requirement for new citizens to formally take steps under the law of their former country to renounce the previous citizenship. In 1973, the Whitlam government ended the preferential treatment for British subjects from 1 December 1973 and inserted a reference to the "Queen of Australia",^[10] to become:

I, A. B., renouncing all other allegiance, swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia, Her heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil my duties as an Australian citizen.

In 1986, the Hawke government removed the renunciation requirement and the requirement for candidates to state their names, the wording becoming:

I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia, Her heirs and successors according to law, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Australia and fulfil my duties as an Australian citizen.

In 1994, Parliament passed a bill introduced by the Cabinet headed by Paul Keating and which replaced the oath with a Pledge of Commitment to "Australia":^[11]

From this time forward, [under God,]

I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,

whose democratic beliefs I share,

whose rights and liberties I respect, and

whose laws I will uphold and obey.

The prospective citizen has the option of making the pledge with or without the words "under God".

The pledge differs from the oath, as the former is "the [thing] one swears by", while the latter is a "[promise] to which one binds oneself in swearing by things".^[12]

There have been no changes since.^[9]

Australian Citizenship Affirmation

There is also a variant known as the Australian Citizenship Affirmation that was first recited at Galston Park in NSW on Australia Day 1999 that reads:

As an Australian citizen,

I affirm my loyalty to Australia and its people,

Whose democratic beliefs I share,

Whose rights and liberties I respect,

And whose laws I uphold and obey.

The Department of Home Affairs encourages use of this affirmation by school students and members of the general public including on such occasions as Harmony Day (21 March), Refugee Week, Australian Citizenship Day (17 September) and Australia Day (26 January).^[13][14]