Australian citizenship tests condemned

SYDNEY - Strict new citizenship laws, including English tests, proposed by the Australian Government have been greeted by Muslim leaders as blatant electioneering and an attempt to drive them out of the country.

Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration Andrew Robb released the proposals at the weekend as part of a citizenship discussion paper promised by the Government earlier this year.

It means potential citizens would need to pass a written and oral English test, recognise common phrases like "fair go", and pass a 30-question general knowledge quiz.

That could include questions requiring people to list the animals on Australia's coat of arms and name the country's national flower.

Some Muslim leaders claimed citizenship was being singled out by the Government as an election issue for 2007, similar to the Tampa boat people saga before the 2001 election.

There was concern the tests would be applied more heavily to Muslims.

"It looks ... as though the Government engineered the conference so it could tell Muslims to shape up or ship out," Muslim leader Yasser Soliman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Robb urged Muslim clerics to conduct more services in English to warn young people about terrorism, a move accepted by the Federal Government's Muslim community reference group chairman Ameer Ali. "In time, with the young generation coming up and taking responsibilities, sermons will only be in English because they are Australian imams."

Robb said the formal citizenship test would not require a university level of English. Failing the test wouldn't impact on a person's existing visa status, and they could resit.

"It will provide a real incentive to learn English and to understand the Australian way of life," the paper said.

The Sydney Morning Herald offered its own version of a likely exam. Under the heading "Are you Aussie enough?", the first question was reasonably predictable.

1) Which of the following is NOT an Aussie value? A) Telling jokes that involve New Zealanders and sheep, or Asians and homework. B) Ignoring Warnie's off-field transgressions because he is the Sheik. C) Living in England and claiming Steve Irwin was being reckless. D) Rubbishing Australia's parliaments and politicians.

The answer? Not A, but C, of course.

- NZPA