What justifies a new citizenship test?
“Throughout our history, very many people have become citizens despite having little fluency in English. But that did not prevent them from making substantial contributions to our society – people who worked hard in jobs that many English-speakers were loathe to take; people who obeyed the law, were good parents and fine neighbours. Aren’t such personal qualities the essence of good citizenship? How can it be in the national interest to impose new barriers to citizenship, barriers which would have prevented its acquisition by so many who have demonstrably proven to be model citizens?”
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Being an Australian is about far more than can be proven in an exam. It’s about story, mateship, courage, and I think most importantly individuality. Australians, I think, historically can be described as accepting and incouraging individualism, and from here has grown the idea of a ‘fair go’. How can that be demonstrated in an exam? Why should language be a barrier to that?
Isn’t this part of the same story - stimulate fear and racism so as to deflect attention from things that have been mishandled but really matter - global warming, water policy, Iraq?
What really gets my goat about all this is that a substantial number of indigenous Australian would fail such a test, because English is not their first language and white men’s tests are not their forte.
I travel the world on scientific research and meet fantastic people everywhere - sometimes our language exchange is not great and we have to communicate using a great deal of good will, but communicate we do.
Any of those people are welcome here, and likewise, I hope I am welcome in their countries (Iran being one, Sudan another).
I disagree with most of your comments which are against having a Test for Australian citizenship. Actually about 20 years ago I was amazed and said to a close Spanish-speaking friend who had just become an Australian citizen, “How did you get it when your English is almost nonexistent” He agreed with me but replied goodhumourdly,(in Spanish)”Well, actually the lady that interviewed me was Vietnamese and her English wasn’t much better than mine”. I think citizens (of any country) should speak (basic) the national language and have some general knowledge about the country they intend to live in. I see nothing wrong with having a basic Test. There may well be political ulterior motives but I do think this is quite fair and would welcome it. I have worked with migrants for many years and have worked as an interpreter.
Alice Opper (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria)
While I can see some truth in that, especially about language, I fail to see how this test would properly assess a person’s suitability for citizenship, which goes far beyond language. Essentially, my objection to the idea of a test is that the principles that characterise Australia, such as a fair go, individual identity, mateship, etc cannot be identified through an examination. While these principles had their origin in and are themes of our great historical events - the Eureka Stokade, Galipoli, the Kokoda track, etc - knowledge of these events is not, in my opinion, evidence of the true ‘Aussie’ ideals, and as such a test for citizenship serves no real point, except to discriminate.
In the 1960s I worked on tobacco farms run by Italians, Yugoslavs and Albanians. Very few of these
people had adequate conversational English let alone written skills.
As a young teenager, I was exposed to their different values systems. I laughed when one Italian farmer kindly informed me, I was “too skinny” and should become “nice and big like Mamma” (his wife) and have “many bambinos.” Likewise, when a Yugoslav man asked me hopefully if my parents had “promised” me to someone.
Today these people are all well integrated into the more mainstream society.
They are our living proof that with the advent of time, tolerance and a fair go, migrants can develop into fine Australians.
the citizenship test is ridicules filled with non relavent questions. Have u ever stopped to think that maybe they are just normal people who wish to escape from their troubled country to Australia to live a better life? and yet were making them take this test that was only introduced last year?
Isnt Australia a country that is multicultural?put your self in their shoes. how would you feel if u had to leave everything that you know and flee for your life? u couldnt speak the native launguage? and you were rejected from the country?
It shouldnt matter where u come from! everyone deserves a chance to enter a better life. its hard enough for them to flee from danger as it is. give them a break.