Dutton attacks Labor refusal to commit to citizenship changes

The government’s tougher citizenship test is in doubt as Labor and Senate crossbenchers refuse to back the overhaul.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has linked the government’s tougher values-based citizenship test with national security, declaring it more important than ever for Australia to “accept the right people”, as Labor splits over the proposed changes.

The Coalition will need to convince Labor or the Senate crossbenchers to support the legislation, which is due to be introduced to the House of Representatives tomorrow, after the Greens confirmed they would ­oppose the overhaul.

Of most concern to opposition MPs is a new, stand-alone English language test that requires competence in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

One Labor MP yesterday questioned whether a person with Down syndrome would hinder the family becoming citizens because of the English test; another queried how many Australian-born citizens could pass the test.

Under the government’s shake-up, applicants will need to be permanent residents for at least four years — the current requirement is one year — before applying for citizenship, which the government justifies as a “significant period” to learn or improve English skills.

The Australian understands people with a disability, who are incapacitated, over the age of 60 or under 16 will be exempted from the English test.

Mr Dutton said the legislation would help ensure the “small minority” of people who do the wrong thing did not become citizens.

“It is odd to follow the Leader of the Opposition and those on his frontbench and backbench and their contributions to this debate in opposing our changes to strengthen Australian citizenship. This is quite odd. I think they protest too much,” Mr Dutton said.

“They are completely divided when it comes to what is a very ­important issue.”

Bill Shorten told caucus that Labor wanted people to commit to Australia and sign up to our laws and values, while his spokesman on citizenship, Tony Burke, said the government’s proposal had “so far been incoherent” and a departmental briefing had left many unanswered questions.

“When I asked for, for example on the English language test, how many people who currently apply for citizenship would pass the test, the government didn’t know,” Mr Burke said. “When I asked how many Australians would pass the test at a university level, the government didn’t know.”

Labor will not finalise its position until it studies the bill, which frontbencher Ed Husic suggested could be sent off to a parliamentary inquiry for improvement.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who leads a crucial bloc of four crossbench senators, said her party would support the citizenship changes but wanted the time a person held permanent residency before becoming a citizen extended to eight years.

The Nick Xenophon Team also is waiting to see the bill but its senator Stirling Griff said he also had concerns about the English test.

“I dare say there’s a lot of devil in it (the legislation),” he told The Australian. “I would like to see every single MP go through and meet all the requirements in this citizenship test.

“It’s important for every one of us to see what they have to go through to actually qualify.”

The government says its changes “strengthen” the ­citizenship test by including “more meaningful” questions to assess understanding of and commitment to shared values and ­responsibilities.