Photographer : jnxyz@flickr
Get ready everyone, if you thought you were an Australian living with other Australians in Australia before, ooh boy, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. That wacky bunch in charge just kicked it up a notch with a new citizenship test! That’s right. Things are about to get Australiafied.
The Australian citizenship test commenced on 1 October 2007. While being criticised by some, namely me, as being point-scoring politics with little or no practical value, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship argues the test promotes social cohesion and successful integration into the community. They say the test will help people who want to become Australian citizens understand the country’s values, traditions, history and national symbols. I’m just glad I don’t have to do it, I’d have no chance.
These values, according to the Becoming an Australian Citizen resource book, include ‘a fair go’, and ‘mateship’. Could there really be cultures somewhere with no concept of fairness or friendliness? I would be more inclined to agree with Jack Marx of The Daily Truth: ‘Mateship is nonsense. It's about as uniquely Australian as oxygen, or getting dressed for work in the morning.’
‘The citizenship test is all about demonstrating that you understand the privilege of being an Australian,’ said Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews, who has been privileged by sheer accident of location of birth. ‘Requiring would-be citizens to commit to Australia is important and it would never be implemented by a Labor government,’ continued the Sale, Victoria born minister.
For a government seeking popularity, it’s not hard to see where this test came from. There are certain members of the community who, to put it as diplomatically as possible, wish to see some kind of action being taken in regards to perceived cultural ‘tensions’. And there are others, probably of a more reasonable nature, who consider the pre-existing requirements for citizenship to be more than adequate—such as living in Australia for more than two years (it’s now four), disclosing any prior convictions and attending an interview session.
The test also asks some fairly unimportant questions, practically speaking. For example, I have been getting along fine up until now without realising that it’s apparently my duty as an Australian citizen to ‘join with Australians to defend Australia and it’s way of life, should the need arise.’
Actually I’m still not sure what that implies.
No, ridicule is the most this test deserves—I find it impossible to take seriously that which, as articulated by Lyn Allison, Leader of the Democrats ‘means that people who might be hard working, good hearted and committed to this country could be denied the right to vote because they did not know that the golden wattle is our national floral emblem.’ Do we honestly think there will be any measurable difference in migrant integration because new citizens will be able to connect the name ‘Bradman’ to the right sport?
It’s a political move and a pretty transparent one at that. ‘These tests will prove nothing and achieve nothing beyond wedging the Labor Party in a cynical use of race politics,’ said Greens senator, Kerry Nettle. ‘The Prime Minister is deliberately trying to create the false impression that there is a problem with the quality of migrants we are getting into Australia, when the reality is quite the opposite.’ The Greens submission to the Minister's Citizenship Discussion Paper process detailed how in fact migrants' English language proficiency has significantly improved over the term of the Howard government.
There’s an election looming though so maybe hardline nationalist policies like this one will soon be replaced by vague, noncommittal ones. Here’s hoping!
How do I know this?
Department of Immigration and Citizenship, 2007, ‘How do I prepare for the test?’,
citizenship.gov.au
http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/index.htm
Cath Hart, 10 October 2007 ‘Citizenship test a walkover for 80pc’,
The Australian www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22560775-5013404,00.html
Lyn Allison, 28 September, 2007, ‘Citizenship Test is the new Aussie cringe’,
ABC News http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/28/2045805.htm
Jack Marx, 15 September 2006 ‘Mates my arse’, The Daily Truth,
The Sydney Morning Herald http://blogs.smh.com.au/thedailytruth/archives/
2006/09/mates_my_arse.html
Kerry Nettle 13 December 2006, ‘Citizenship test nothing more than cynical wedge politics’,
greens.org.au
http://nsw.greens.org.au/media-centre/news-releases/citizenship-test-nothing-more-than-cynical-wedge-politics
