According to the Australian immigration department, in the first quarter of 2009-2010 only 49.1% of immigrants who came for humanitarian reasons passed the citizenship test upon their first attempt, while for immigrants who came through the family reunion program, the same rate is 77.9 %.
If you bear in mind that a large proportion of immigrants avoid the citizenship test because they do not hope to pass it because of their poor English , or because they fear negative consequences, it becomes obvious that a large proportion of immigrants are condemned to be forever deprived of their civil rights.
Why we abandon the citizenship system we had for so many years, which admittedly had turned Australia to the most harmonious and multicultural country in world?
Did they find something offensive in Australian citizens who became Australian citizens without any tests?
They have said :
1. that immigrants are not interested in learning English.
Many immigrants come, from poor countries, some of them are uneducated. Many European immigrants who came after the Second World War were uneducated as a result of occupation of their countries and closure of schools.

2. that the test will strengthen social cohesion and strengthen the nation. Is it possible that exclusion, humiliation, rejection and deprivation of rights from a large proportion of immigrants will strengthen social cohesion?

3. that many immigrants do not value Australian citizenship and that through the citizenship test they will learn to appreciate it. The statistics prove that immigrants from non-English speaking countries become Australian citizens they soonest possible they can.
4. that we should follow the example of other countries on the granting of citizenship. Why should Australia, with the best citizenship system, have to follow other less successful countries?
The denial of citizenship to a portion of immigrants is undemocratic and dangerous, especially in countries such as Australia with such a large percentage of immigrants.

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Immigration has to be done slowly i say, or else you are going to end up with ethnic groups banding together, that in it self will cause trouble. Bring in the young people and leave the elder fogies where they are. Whats happening with the muslim community, is not good. I don't think these people are suited to the AU way of life at all.

None of the things you mentioned were an issue until howard the coward decided to steal the dog whistle from pauline hanson and use them to divide and scare the populace and his opponents.
Now we reap the harvest of alienated and unhappy migrants and rising racism and intolerance.

Having said that I saw the coolest thing on tv today. A black sudanese guy who spoke aussie just like us. It was strange to hear that accent from someone so dark but it shows that they do want to be just like us... if only we will let them.

The citizenship test is an offensive insult that maligns people for no other reason than they werent born here and it makes a persons first steps into Australia uncomfortable and unwelcoming.

The Citizen test is a helping hand to those who come to Australia with an agenda. The Citizen test makes it nigh impossible for people to come to Australia to start a new life.

mikk,
a Sudanese speaking like an Aussie ? What do you expect him to sound like after learning english in Australia ??

Howard did play the race card but the only reason was that it was there on the table to play already. PC started the ball rolling and has politicised race like we have done with Indigenous culture. People who are represented by political activists do not have the best PR firms on earth. We barely tolerate politicians as it is.

PC correctness failed in Australia because it was borrowed from other nations with totally different historical contexts. Trendy and idiotic.

I would accept easier citizenship provided any group that had a high level of integration issues resulted in zero migration intake from their country for 10 years to stop the feed chain into dysfunctional enclaves.

I can appreciate the efforts of refugee advocates and migration lawyers trying to give greater access to this nation but they seem to dump them in the streets once visa established. Immigration is so hard, never as good as one thinks..very much grass is always greener so starry eyed soon become disillusioned. Poor immigration policy is bad for everyone concerned. Some people are better off not migrating and should be told. One with a dream to be a rich doctor in the wealthy suburbs find themselves a taxi driver in poorer suburbs deserves to know that reality before they make life changing commitment.

It is arrogant that many feel these people will be happier with such a bad outcome than from where they came. It is dishonest.

So harsher migration policy but then easier citizenship would be ideal imo.

Will never happen, forced by one political side to take in people not suitable and destined for their children be disadvantaged has to be tempered with difficult citizenship rules from the other side. Uisng epopel this way is disgusting but both sides have been equally disgusting.