The Citizenship Test is purely window dressing to win votes using the fear factor and some warped idea of nationalism and patriotism. Those who see the test as some sort of screening programme to reduce the potential of terrorism are kidding themselves.

Lets look at the reasons one might consider a such a test:

1. To reduce the potential for wrong doers to enter the country, and with it the risk of terrorism.
2. To ensure that immigrants have some knowledge of Australia.
3. To ensure that immigrants have a basic knowledge of English that will allow them to contribute and receive the rewards that a life in Australia might offer.

As far as 2. and 3. go, this sort of knowledge is already being taught in Migrant English programmes which makes one think that the money spent on administering and marketing of the Test would be better spent on the education programmes already in place for new arrivals including support in finding work and accommodation.

The Citizenship Test will not protect us from terrorism. If you were a terrorist and fervent in your desire to wreak havoc on innocent victims, a Citizenship Test is not in anyway going to be a deterrent. Reminding would-be terrorists that Australia's values are different to theirs means zip - a terrorist, with their single minded and politically directed passion already believe their values to be superior. In fact they are more likely to study hard to ensure they get top marks. The whole notion is just ridiculous and one would be forgiven for thinking they were reading a script worthy of Humphrey Appleby of Yes Minister fame.

The Citizenship Test and associated advertising is simply tax-payer funded electioneering in the disguise of government information.

"To all those like thinking Australians (and I'm pleased to see there are lots of them on this particular thread!)

I'm a bit worried we might become the victims of our own success. We've got rid of the boat people. This test of Kevin's will keep out the other undesirables. The Democrats are on their deathbed. Who is going to be left in Oz for us to hate?

Thank God the Greens look like hanging around for a while yet. Don't you just love to hate those tree-hugging, pinko, hippy leftists!

Yours truly
The ugly Australian."

And unfortunately there are far too many of them.

Contrary to the assertions of many leftists, the questions were not obscure ones that migrants have no way of knowing the answer to, as evidenced by the fact that all but one passed.

The left have also argued that the test is implicitly racist, and will alienate new migrants. Two of the interviewed migrants who took the test affirmed the benefits of the test on national television, and none seemed to resent having to take it. They obviously didn’t feel targeted or vilified, as many lefties would have you believe. Rather than being victims, they actually agreed with what was happening.

And indeed, anyone who would resent having to answer some questions about our values wouldn’t have a very good attitude towards migrating to Australia. Migrants have an obligation to obey the laws and respect the culture and values of the country they want to live in permanently. It doesn’t matter if you are Caucasian, Jewish, black or Muslim. All people wishing to immigrate to Australia have to understand that they will have to adapt to our values and our laws, not the other way around.

for more: http://leonbertrand.blogspot.com/2007/10/new-migrants-take-citizenship-test.html

This test is long overdue, and this appalling article harps on what the author thinks the test will not do.

What it will do, is direct people’s attention to what is reasonably expected of them if they wish to be citizens.

The fact that it will not sort out all the people who are unsuitable, may be a reason for not having any one come here until such a method is found, but is certainly not an argument for not having the test, however inadequate it may be.

No doubt, experience will enable the test to be improved.

The only regret, if one is inclined to have regrets, is that it was not initiated many years ago.

miacat in her post says: “ I think I would not have passed the citizen test.”.

What a shame we did not have it then, we would have had one less antisocial.

We have enough home grown subversives, without her, as evidenced by this article.

There is a Sudanese family, who are very welcome, in my area. When they first came here the younger ones would run along beside the local distance runners with big cheery smiles on their faces.

They've been here for a while now and go to a private school.

It is interesting that they are now becoming more like
certain Australians. For instance: They sit in the train and plonk a bag of lollies in the middle and chew on them. They now yell smart alec insults at people passing by - just like Aussie kids.

Maybe we need to look at their culture and see what they are doing correctly. Answer those questions and we may even have a generation who don't spend their energy crying out for drugs to help them feel good.

Lyn Allison makes me cringe.

Australian citizenship is a privilege, not a right. Throughout history, societies have always had the fundamental right to determine who should belong to them. If migrants are unprepared to learn our history, speak our language and embrace our culture, then Australia is under no obligation to hand over its citizenship.

The notion that prospective citizens might be asked to actually demonstrate a commitment to their new nation obviously doesn't fit into Ms. Allison's warped open borders view of the world.

And isn't national citizenship by nature 'discriminatory'? Citizenship is what binds together a community into a nation. It gives the group a common identity, distinct from other nationalities. But Ms. Allison seems to view Australian citizenship as nothing more than a meaningless passport to be thrown around like confetti.

Most Australians support the new citizenship changes. It's only the multi-culti chattering classes who are in vehement opposition. The same high priests and priestesses of the cultural left who have long viewed it as their role to keep the ignorant, bigoted, xenophobic masses under control by excluding them from issues regarding citizenship, multiculturalism and immigration.