AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Immigration Report Calls for Changes to Citizenship Test

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

It has been reported that a campaign to encourage Australian residents to take up citizenship and an overhaul of the qualifying test has been proposed in a report to Immigration Minister Chris Evans.

According to the report an estimated 90,000 permanent residents, most of whom are British, New Zealanders and South Africans, are eligible to become citizens.

The report calls for government action to promote citizenship and also sponsor national education programs on civics and citizenship. The citizenship test, first brought forward by the Howard government has been at the centre of debate and criticism and is said to be disadvantageous particularly for refugees and others who originates from a non-English speaking background.

Following the six months to end of March, 25,000 people have sat the test out of which 95% have passed. However, while 99% of skilled migrants had passed, only 82% of those from the humanitarian program had done so. The number of people seeking citizenship had fallen since the introduction of the test as people have been deterred by fear of failure. .

According to the report committee chaired by former diplomat Dick Woolcott, the test should be simplified and focus on what people need to know about a citizen’s responsibilities and privileges. This also means that controversial questions about sports figures such as cricket legend Don Bradman, billiards champion Walter Lindrum and cyclist Hubert Opperman are unlikely to be asked, although these sporting heroes are likely to be mentioned in the booklet given to people to study.

The report, named Moving Forward … Improving Pathways to Citizenship, lists 34 recommendations and is expected to be released soon.

The committee had travelled the country and received approximately 170 submissions. Most of the people had wanted the test scrapped but the Government had insisted on keeping it.

According to The Age, Mr. Woolcott said “the committee had defined what it believed should be expected of an Australian citizen. It also distinguished between what citizens need to know and what is useful. It addressed what is an adequate knowledge of English for new citizens”.

Mr Woolcott also said the consultations had exposed the needs and special requirements of refugees as well as humanitarian immigrants and that the report addresses these issues. "We need to address these special problems if we are to be a compassionate society," he said. The recommendations are yet to be considered by the Government.

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