Julian2 Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Friday Sep 15 14:59 AEST Ethnic groups have condemned a federal government proposal to test migrants wishing to become Australian citizens. Prime Minister John Howard has outlined plans for tough new measures requiring would-be citizens to have a reasonable standard of English and a knowledge of Australian history. Under the proposal, expected to be formally unveiled on Sunday, migrants would also have to pass a test of Australian customs and values, Mr Howard said. But the chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils (FECC), Voula Messimeri, said she could not see what Australia stood to gain by the plans. "We don't support a tough language test because we feel it will discriminate against people from communities where they don't speak English," Ms Messimeri said. Mr Howard confirmed the plans also would include a requirement that people wanting to become Australian citizens must wait at least four years, up from three years. "Certainly we are going to lift the waiting period to four years, there will be a fairly firm English language requirement and the paper itself ... will contain quite a number of issues," he said. He said the measures would not be difficult for people who were serious, "and most people who come to this country are fair dinkum about becoming part of the community." But Ms Messimeri said she did not know why the government would want to make it tougher to become Australian, given they had an advertising campaign to encourage people to apply for citizenship. "In finding things that bind us all, we have to make sure we don't exclude people," she said. Omar Omar from the Horn of Africa Community Network said human values were the same for all nations, and he did not see the point in a test of Australian values. Mr Omar said he supported an English language test for people wanting to become citizens, but thought it was unrealistic for people to speak good English soon after arriving. "It is impossible, especially for Africans, to speak good English before they arrive. There is no way of learning English in refugee camps," he said. Mr Omar said if there was a test, more needed to be done to support new arrivals wishing to learn English. Ethnic Communities Council of NSW (ECC) vice chair Justin Li has said values could not be taught by making people study for an exam. "We don't disagree that migrants should embrace Australian values but values and beliefs cannot simply be instilled into people just by making them sit through an exam," Mr Li said in a statement. "If we want our migrants to adopt the Australian value of tolerance, we must first show them tolerance and make them feel part of mainstream society." Mr Li said it was important the changes took into account the elderly, or migrants who did not have literacy skills. "We cannot expect for example elderly migrants from overseas, who have been sponsored by their children to live in Australia, to have the same potential for proficiency in English as younger migrants," he said. A reasonable standard of English and a knowledge of Australian history? They'd need to deport 90% of the present population. I didn't know we had any customs and values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 How difficult can the Australian history test be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAT_AUSSIE Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Easy! bullshit part about it is for people like myself where my wife is now becoming a pemanent resident she'll even though the above article said 3 years it's really just over 2, my wife will have to wiat loger to get an aussie passport so we'll both have to wait be able to travel more freely. each time my wife returns to Thailand even for one day whilst on a PR visa she has to produce a Thai police clearance before she re-enters Australia, that in itself takes over a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Football,meatpies and Holden cars... Beats me..the whole thing is crazy...sure get them into English the rst will come later.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Easy! bullshit part about it is for people like myself where my wife is now becoming a pemanent resident she'll even though the above article said 3 years it's really just over 2, my wife will have to wiat loger to get an aussie passport so we'll both have to wait be able to travel more freely. each time my wife returns to Thailand even for one day whilst on a PR visa she has to produce a Thai police clearance before she re-enters Australia, that in itself takes over a week. My will be a citizen in January...just 2 years.. Maybe they mean...Temp visa 2 years and then the Pr for another 2 yars then citizen... BTw...my wife only got one police check (now PR spouse visa) no more after that she goes back 3-4 tims a year is going in November for a friends wedding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Classic Howard tactic. Leak a few details to test the reaction and then make the necessary adjustments before releasing the policy. Does it every time. Probably the smartest polititan in Australian history. Just happens to be the biggest cocksucker to go with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Bomber Beazley tested the waters first ..last week...and drowned. Howard picked up the dregs as he could smell some votes...as you said smart poly... See what comes up next.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 Isn't Oz history similar to American history. 'Muvver Engerlund' sent their prisoners and social outcasts to Botany Bay, Plymouth, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. lol. Funny thing is Oz gets the reputation for prisoners and America got a whole lot of them themselves who a few generations down were calling themselves the social elite...lol... Do they voters there get to have their ballots in different languages like they do here? We have just about every conceivable dialect or language on government forms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 You don't understand. They have to pass a test in AUSTRALIAN English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 16, 2006 Report Share Posted September 16, 2006 Isn't Oz history similar to American history. 'Muvver Engerlund' sent their prisoners and social outcasts to Botany Bay, Plymouth, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. lol. Funny thing is Oz gets the reputation for prisoners and America got a whole lot of them themselves who a few generations down were calling themselves the social elite...lol... Do they voters there get to have their ballots in different languages like they do here? We have just about every conceivable dialect or language on government forms. Sure do...you could wrap your house in our ballot paper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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