Tougher test to be a citizen mooted

Peter Dutton says a tougher test could be on the cards for migrants wanting to become Australians | TAKE THE TEST

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

An individual’s dependence on welfare and their willingness to learn English are being promoted as key components of a tougher citizenship test that ­Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is seeking to elevate as a political objective for the year ahead.

Mr Dutton told The Australian yesterdaythat toughening the citizenship test was a “debate worth having” and put forward his personal view that there was “scope to modernise the ­arrangements”.

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The renewed focus on the character test comes as the ­government seeks to prevent terrorists from exploiting short-term migration pathways to Australia after a ­Tunisian ­migrant became the key suspect in an attack on a Berlin market last month, killing 12 people.

It also follows the foiling of a homegrown Christmas Day ­terror plot in Melbourne, with one of the alleged planners of that ­attack — 24-year-old Egypt-born Ahmed Mohamed — having arrived in Australia on a tourist visa in 2001 and gaining citizenship five years later.

Mr Dutton yesterday suggested a revamped citizenship test must place a greater emphasis on an individual’s ability to successfully integrate into society ­instead of testing knowledge of Australian history and culture.

“The question we face is whether or not we have the right test, the right questions ... whether or not people know Don Bradman’s batting average is a true test of whether or not somebody shares an Australian value,” he told 2GB radio.

Mr Dutton said security ­challenges of the 21st century placed new demands on the ­citizenship test and argued for it to be overhauled to better gauge an individual’s willingness to learn English and provide a proper education for their children as well as their likely reliance on government welfare.

“Australian values like abiding by Australian laws, working hard if you are able bodied and of working age, and educating your children have been the underpinning of the success of our ­migration program for a long time,” he told The Australian.

“The vast majority of people who want to become an Australian citizen embrace these ­values, but under the current ­arrangements people who don’t can still end up with the same valued prize of citizenship.

“My view is people who don’t embrace these tangible values shouldn’t expect automatic ­citizenship.”

Key senate crossbencher David Leyonhjelm said the debate on the citizenship test is absolutely a step in the right direction.

He believes Australia should look at Switzerland as a potential model where there Is a sponsorship program and fellow citizens have to vouch for applicants. Senator Leyonhjelm wants to delay migrants’ eligibility for citizenship for at least 10 years and ban people with a record of serious crime from applying. He said the citizenship test should cover people’s links to the community, work history and fundamental liberal democratic values such as free speech, equality before the law, rights of women and respect for diversity.

“Raising the bar on citizenship is the right response to the concern about immigration which is currently circulating in Australia,” Senator Leyonhjelm told AAP today.

The citizenship test is currently made up of 20 questions drawn at random from a larger pool of questions and, to be successful, aspiring Australians must answer at least 15 correctly.

The questions asks candidates about subjects such as the Australian national anthem, the purpose of Anzac Day, the ­colours of the Aboriginal flag, the purpose of the commonwealth coat-of-arms, the role of government and role of the ­governor-general.

Mr Dutton has put the citizenship test back onto the agenda more than 18 months after the government commissioned a consultation on citizenship. The consultation, led by NSW Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and the former member for Berowra Philip Ruddock, was intended to improve understanding of the “privileges and responsibilities” of Australian citizenship and was launched as the Abbott government contemplated its changes to strip dual national terrorists of their citizenship.

They received hundreds of written submissions on the topics from a diverse range of community organisations and groups.

The first draft of the report was delivered to the government before Tony Abbott was deposed by Malcolm Turnbull in September 2015 with a final report delivered in May last year. It has never been publicly released. The report canvassed the “citizenship eligibility test and pledge”.

Labor sounded the alarm on any politically ­motivated shake-up to the citizenship test and urged Mr Dutton to build a compelling case for change. The Australian understands that the opposition has not yet been briefed on any proposed changes.

Shayne Neumann, the opposition immigration spokesman, told The Australian that any overhaul of the current test would have to meet a series of conditions to receive Labor approval.

“If the government wants to put a proposal in the areas of migration and citizenship reform it needs to be evidence-based and not politically motivated,” he said. “It needs to be for the benefit of the Australian community, social inclusion and the Australian economy and not for the purpose of seeking One Nation preferences in Western Australia and in Queensland.”

The debate comes on the heels of a terror attack in Istanbul in which at least 39 people, including 16 foreign tourists, were ­massacred at a restaurant and nightclub on the Bosphorus.

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Here are 10 practice questions for the current citizenship test. The real test consists of 20 questions. To pass you must answer 75 per cent, or 15 out of 20 questions, correctly. Answers at the end.

Australia and its people

1. What do we remember on Anzac Day?

a. The landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli, Turkey

b. The arrival of the first free settlers from Great Britain

c. The landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove

2. What are the colours of the Australian Aboriginal Flag?

a. Black, red and yellow

b. Green, white and black

c. Blue, white and green

3. Which official symbol of Australia identifies Commonwealth property?

a. The national anthem

b. Australia’s national flower

c. Commonwealth Coat of Arms

Australia’s democratic beliefs, rights and liberties

4. Which of these is an example of freedom of speech?

a. People can peacefully protest against government decisions

b. Men and women are treated equally in a court of law

c. Australians are free to not follow a religion

5. Which of these statements about government in Australia is correct?

a. The government does not allow some religions

b. Government in Australia is secular

c. Religious laws are passed by parliament

6. Which of these statements about passports is correct?

a. Australian citizens can apply for an Australian passport

b. Permanent residents can hold an Australian passport

c. Australian citizens need a passport and visa to return to Australia

Government and the law in Australia

7. What happened in Australia on 1 January 1901?

a. The Australian Constitution was changed by a referendum

b. The Australian Constitution came into effect

c. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was formed

8. What is a referendum?

a. A vote to change the government

b. A vote to change the Australian Constitution

c. A vote to change the Prime Minister

9. Which arm of government has the power to interpret and apply laws?

a. Legislative

b. Executive

c. Judicial

10. Which of these is a role of the Governor-General?

a. The appointment of state premiers

b. The signing of Bills passed by the Australian Parliament

c. The appointment of the Head of State

ANSWERS: 1a, 2a, 3c, 4a, 5b, 6a, 7b, 8b, 9c, 10b

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