The term "British subject" had a particular meaning in Australian nationality law. The term encompassed all citizens of countries included in the list contained in the "Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948". The list of countries was based on, but was not identical with, those countries (and their colonies) which were members of the Commonwealth. The list was amended from time to time as various former colonies became independent countries, but the list in the Act was not necessarily up-to-date as far as to constitute exactly a list of countries in the Commonwealth at any given time. This definition of "British subject" meant that, for the purposes of Australian nationality law, citizens of countries which had become republics, such as India, were classified as "British subjects".