I agree with the article that the test is useless. This is another half-way move from a gutless Government that cannot act on its convictions.

The exercise was supposed to screen islamists at point of entry into our society. As if blackening a few boxes on a monitor is going to define the true motives of Islam on our land – anymore than swearing allegiance to the Queen.

Islam – the source of terrorism – will continue to elude politicians. Their inability to expose Islam for what it really is, is a sign of weakness in the eyes of the followers of this evil ideology.

Islam – disguised as a religious belief – will continue to errode our secular way of life by continual infiltrating, making unreasonable demands, enjoy undetected access by our flawed screening processes (or the lack of them), and corrupting every sphere of our society... until the complete Islamization of this land.

Islam is the mother of all disguise when it comes to deception.

Victim one day, brutal the next.

Ah - an excellent example of why the democrats won't be around for much longer - for good reason. One can hardly wait.

The citizenship test IS a good idea. It is only expected that if people wish to join our country that they have a basic understanding of it.

If only the government could go that little bit further and require immigrants to speak english, the difficulty immigrants face integrating into Australia would be eased significantly. But to the Democrats that sort of policy smacks of 'racism' because it requires immigrants to speak, low and behold, 'english'. It's "cultural imperialism" you see. Funny that. I would have thought wanting to make sure people can speak the national language so that they can get a job, communicate with their neighbours, send their kids to school, would be a good thing.

Allison's qualms about the content of the test are also silly. For a brief general overview of Australian history and geography it serves a good function. Allison's agenda to make it all about "women" and "climate change" demonstrate just how much the left has a strangle hold on what used to be a sensible party that one might have thought worthy of a vote. Everything now has to be made about 'climate change' and 'women', or some other leftist agenda.

This whole article shows how the democrats have moved so far from what they were originally established to achieve - a sound alternative to the major parties. They are now just a bunch of hippy, tree-hugging socialists with more in common with the greens than any other party that offers real solutions and real policies. The democrats have become a minor party, just like the greens. Perhaps they should just merge? Both are inept parties for the inane.

I don't think Allison's chances of getting re-elected are high. Thank goodness for that.

I half agree with ramis - it's not a bad idea if immigrants at least have a working knowledge of English. But knowing who Alfred Deakin was won't help them a bit.

I also agree that the Democrats seem to have abandoned the middle ground and are parrotting the Greens, who have way more media punch.

The Dems need to punch through with a small business economic policy.

Lyn Allision has described the testing procedures as being “racist”, and also described them as being “very male”.

So she equates racism with being male which is now sexism.

While hiding behind the banner of equality, Lyn Allison is simply a sexist.

So much for honesty.

I think the testing is a sign of the times.

Such tests seem to be the latest political corporate toy within English speaking democracies. They are all the rage in the UK and America.

What I would like to see is whether the people who propose them could actually be required to sit them and pass or risk losing their citizenship?

(Fairness being a much lauded Australian value)

For example - the current Minister for Immigration - following his comments about the reduction of numbers of refugees from Africa has been labelled as making comments that are hostile to Australian values by the Human Rights Commissioner.

Were he to sit the test set by his colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs could he pass or more to the point would he pass?

(it is multiple choice after all)

An even more interesting question is, were he to fail should he lose his citizenship and if so, where would he seek asylum?

More to the point, where would HE be considered a desirable immigrant?

Dafur perhaps?

Nah, he is the wrong religion, the wrong ethnicity and the wrong colour!

This is the worst article I've read on this site.

My parents used to vote Democrat - that disillusioned, Don Chipp type of voter - neither do now, and most of my friends who thought about it would never do so now. This article shows why - what do the Dems STAND for? Gender politics? Honestly!

If you don't like the things in the test, seek to change it - there's NOTHING in Allison's article that goes to the PRINCIPLE of the test. And on the other hand, if you believe in the principles for which the test stands, but disagree with the policies (e.g. Iraq) that you think don't fit with those principles, surely you'd PREFER to have a test like this as a backdrop, a basic set of principles to point to in calling the government to account..?

Whatever staffer Allison had write this isn't earning his/her money. And the Dems are going to disappear at this election.