From ABC, December 12, 2006
CITIZENSHIP TEST 'DISCRIMINATORY'
Ethnic groups say the Federal Government's decision to go ahead with a citizenship test for migrants is discriminatory.
Prospective citizens will have to pass a computerised test covering English language skills, local culture and history and sign a commitment to Australia's values and way of life.
Migrants seeking permanent residency and temporary visa holders planning to stay more than 12 months will also have to give an undertaking to comply with Australian laws and values.
The head of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, Voula Messimeri, says the move is unfair to those who are from a non-English speaking background.
She says they will find it hard to learn language skills in a short time frame.
"It will actively discourage others who feel quite reticent ... to sit formal tests from applying for citizenship," she said.
"Thus ... it has the possibility of creating two different classes of people in Australia - and that is definitely discriminatory."
Ms Messimeri says the capacity to speak English is no measure of a person's worth as a citizen.
"I think that Australia is at a crossroads, as are a number of countries all around the world, and we need to be very, very careful about debates that further polarise people in this country," she said.
"We certainly would caution against that."
HUMANITARIAN REFUGEES
There are also concerns that the Federal Government's planned citizenship test will marginalise humanitarian refugees - especially women.
South Australia's Migrant Resource Centre spokeswoman Eugenia Tsoulis is worried that some migrants would take many years to qualify for citizenship under the new system.
She says the test would exclude many migrants who have come to Australia for humanitarian reasons.
"I am actually quite worried about ... a number of women who will be illiterate and will not be able to actually sit for that test," she said.
"It's just a matter of fact. It doesn't mean that they're not productive women, it doesn't mean they can't do cleaning jobs or do other things, but they physically would not be able to do the test."
DEMOCRATS, GREENS QUESTION MOTIVES BEHIND CITIZENSHIP TEST
The Federal Government has been accused of introducing a citizenship test for migrants for cheap political mileage.
Under the plan would-be citizens will have to pass a test covering english language comprehension, Australian culture and history.
They would also have to sign a commitment to Australian values before being granted citizenship.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, says it is not aimed at keeping migrants out and it is designed to help newcomers integrate.
But Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett says the Government's motives are questionable.
"I think it's just the Government doing it for some easy political points and ignoring the details," Senator Bartlett said.
"The Government thinks this is a clever political move and it's the way they were always determined to go.
"But really the big question isn't so much what tests we should have put in place for people to be citizens, it should be what sort of assistance we provide to people to help them integrate with the Australian community."
Greens Senator Kerry Nettle fears it is designed to keep some migrants out.
"There's no other reason why you would have a test," Senator Nettle said.
Senator Nettle says if the Government was serious about migrants learning English they would provide more funding for language programs.
The dictation test
The dictation test which was included in the Act was similar to tests previously used in the states of Western Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania. The test was a method which enabled immigration officials to exclude individuals on the basis of race without explicitly saying so. The test would be no less than fifty words long, and the passage chosen could often be very difficult, so that even if the test was given in English, a person was likely to fail. Although the test could theoretically be given to any person arriving in Australia, in practice it was given selectively on the basis of race. [5]
Czechoslovakian political activist Egon Erwin Kisch, who was exiled from Germany for opposing Nazism, arrived in Australia in 1934. He was fluent in a number of European languages, and after completing passages in several languages, finally failed when he was tested in Scottish Gaelic. The officer who tested him had grown up in northern Scotland, and did not have a particularly good grasp of Scottish Gaelic himself. In the High Court case of R v Wilson; ex parte Kisch the court found that Scottish Gaelic was not within the fair meaning of the Act, and overturned Kisch's convictions for being an illegal immigrant.
Between 1902 and 1903, forty-six people passed the test out of 805 who were given it. Between 1904 and 1909, only six out of 554 passed. No-one was able to pass the dictation test after 1909. [6]
Bobby said:Notice that Kevin Rudd is sitting on the fence at this stage on this, he knows the majority of voters like this idea.
Maybe Pauline will suggest ~ beer swilling with meat pies as well ?
I honestly don't see why knowing when the first fleet arrived is going to make someone a hard working, decent Australian citizen.
If the generation I grew up in (60/70s) were to express the political views of that generation today, we would all be joining Hicks (though no doubt a lot of us still hold those views).
I wouldn't presume anything, because such a presumption implies that only Gen Y and Gen Next are interested in migration, and I'm pretty sure they're not the only ones.So the values of todays generation, which I presume any test would be based on, would be irrelevent in tomorrows generation, even traitorous.
From, February 27, 2007
CATHOLIC BISHOPS SLAM IMMIGRATION TEST
The Catholic Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life has criticised the Federal Government's proposal to make prospective citizens take a formal language and values test.
The Government has said the test will instil new citizens with a respect for Australian values.
But Bishop Joseph Grech says an exam would only encourage immigrants to memorise required responses.
"A test would not necessarily show that a prospective citizen has taken up Australian values in their life," he said.
"I mean, they would know about them, they would learn about them - but whether they they have made them part of their whole life, that's a different story."
The Bishops also believe the proposed citizenship test will discourage some immigrants from seeking citizenship, intimidating some elderly immigrants who do not speak English well.
Bishop Grech says that many of these immigrants still make an enormous contribution to Australia.
"There are so many of our people who even today are struggling a little bit with English, but their contribution is impeccable, it's an amazing contribution," he said.
Happy said:From ABC, December 12, 2006
If many visitors can speak English, why our citizens shouldn’t?
Didn't seem sarcastic to me.shinobi346 said:I hope that last post was being sarcastic.
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