Australia may be nearly 120 years old - but Australian citizenship is a newer concept

Australia has been an independent nation for more than 118 years, but citizenship in this country is a much newer concept.

The crowd is seen during an Australia Day citizenship ceremony in the city of Waneroo, in Perth's north, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. Source: AAP

So in the lead up to the 70th anniversary of Australian citizenship [[January 26]], Saleem Al-Fahad  takes a look at how and why it was introduced.

Australia officially became the Commonwealth of Australia on the 1st of January 1901, when the British Parliament passed legislation allowing the six Australian colonies to govern in their own right as an independent country.