In Australia, public submissions have become an essential method for individuals, stakeholders, and the government to collaborate on prospective legislation. Despite their widespread use, a significant gap exists in comprehending public submissions' potential as legitimized governmental conduits for citizen participation in decision-making processes. This paper examines public contributions made in Australia between 2007 and 2017, focusing on proposed legislation relating to English competence standards for potential citizens.

Using 234,768-word tokens from citizenship public submissions 2007-2017 obtained and cleaned from https://www.aph.gov.au/public-access-submissions/, it investigates the growing patterns of language proficiency requirements as presented by diverse organizations, including government and public institutions, social-political groups, and private individuals. In particular, it is interest of this paper to investigate the apparent and tacit aspects of a language ideology. Following Blommaert's (1999b) concept of language ideological debate, this research examines the development of an allegedly anti-discriminatory neoliberal ideology marked by cognitive biases. The goal of the language proficiency legislation, on the other hand, is to integrate and assimilate newcomers. This study, however, demonstrates that such a conceptualization of language competency unwittingly increases, rather than weakens, social separation, legitimizing the exclusion of specific groups from civic, economic, and political engagement in Australia.

The findings of this paper shed light on the varied and multifaceted effects of public comments on the implementation of language proficiency requirements, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive and critical examination of public contributions as tools for social and legal change. This research contributes to the more considerable debate over the role and impact of public participation in determining legislative results and social structures within a democratic framework.