The legal status of Australian nationality or Australian citizenship was created by the "Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948" (in 1973 renamed the "Australian Citizenship Act 1948"), which came into force on 26 January 1949. Australian nationality and citizenship existed prior to this date but were not legal concepts: Australian nationality or citizenship meant identification with the Australian community and participation in its politics. The 1948 Act was amended many times, notably in 1973, 1984, 1986 and 2002. It was replaced by the "Australian Citizenship Act 2007", which commenced on 1 July 2007.