migrants to Australia

[eve]

The Federal Government will go ahead with a plan to introduce a citizenship test for migrants that will require applicants to have a basic understanding of English.

It might be useful if they gave that same test to Australians - then we could ALL understand each other! :)

[Campbell]

You're right, eve, it's definitely hard to pin down what it means to be Australian. I hope nobody suggests we all eat 4n20 pies! But seriously, whether or not the test is a good or bad idea depends on what it asks. I happen to work with the Immigration Dept, so I'm answering questions about citizenship every day. The details of the proposed test haven't been finalised, but it looks like it will be 30 questions, based on information that will be readily available for applicants to read and understand beforehand.
Although it's controversial, a test of this kind will at least make it a lot quicker for people to obtain citizenship. Under the current process, applicants must attend a citizenship interview, to demonstrate that they understand the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship (such as enrolling to vote, travelling with an Australian passport and doing jury service), and speak basic English (unless they are over 50). The interview process is time-consuming and applicants often wait 3 to 5 months for an interview. They may then wait a further 3 months before they can attend a ceremony, where they receive their certificate and take the pledge. The test will replace the interview, meaning a citizenship application will take half as much time.
More importantly, a citizenship test is an opportunity to educate the Australian population about how we are governed and significant events in Australian history. Most of us have no idea that Australia Day commemorates the colonial invasion, or that Federation came about in 1901. Hardly anyone understands the role of the Governor-General (or even knows his name!)
Eve, you're not alone in questioning John Howard's motivation for introducing changes to citizenship. But believe me, the people at the Immigration Dept are remarkably humane and sympathetic to migrants, and we're all working hard to make Australia a harmonious place to live.

[eve]

Thank you for that Campbell. I will just point out that you say:

More importantly, a citizenship test is an opportunity to educate the Australian population about how we are governed and significant events in Australian history. Most of us have no idea that Australia Day commemorates the colonial invasion, or that Federation came about in 1901. Hardly anyone understands the role of the Governor-General (or even knows his name!)

That's a point I did make in my 2nd paragraph - Australians also need the test!

Incidentally, my daughter was granted American citizenship a few years back, and said she was given something like 100 questions, but with the understanding that only 30 would be asked! She had friends to help test her along the way, and most of them said that they didn't know any of these things about their Constitution :).

[Campbell]

We have so much more in common with America than we like to admit, including wilful ignorance. It's really disheartening that Aussies don't show more interest in social and political issues (including the way our food is produced and the treatment of farm animals!) It's total complacency. While most of us enjoy a privileged lifestyle, and plenty of professional, educational and cultural opportunities, we take it for granted. I only hope that the hard work done by a few will be enough - there are some truly inspirational figures out there, like Arundhati Roy, John Butler, Alice Garner, Bob Brown... that's a pretty arbitrary list, and we all know less famous people in our own lives who are real heroes.
Obviously, education needs to begin at home, and in primary schools - while it seems a bit unfair to expect migrants to know stuff that other Australians don't, we have to work at every level. Our schools need more resources, government funding and community support, and our teachers need better training. My Italian friend recently worked as a language assistant at one of Melbourne's better primary schools, and found her English was better than the teachers with Australian university qualifications! Hopefully one day, people will begin to value a good education and social participation, to take pride in being Australian and know something about who we are as a nation, where we come from and where we're going.

[eve]

Hi Campbell, I agree with all you say except for considering Bob Brown to be inspirational! I've met him, and have watched him become the big messiah to green-thinking people. The premier of Qld admits to being a media tart, but whilst Bob B enjoys and promotes himself, I've never heard him admit to being the obvious media tart, and apparently nothing can remove his love of meat eating. When that day happens, I may change my mind!