Booklet delays citizenship test
by Cath Hart, the Weekend Australian
THE introduction of a citizenship test has been delayed because the federal Government has yet to complete a booklet on which questions about Australia's history and values will be based.
The citizenship bill is now likely to be introduced in the May session of parliament.
Despite the revised timeline, Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said he was confident the test would be ready before the federal election later this year, saying it would be introduced by "September or October".
"The bill was due to be introduced this session; we were always working on the material but we haven't quite got the material," he said. "We're getting a lot of work done in relation to the values and traditions so hopefully by mid-April we'll have most of the first draft together.
"My view was that it was best to have the material and the bill together because if we just put the bill in people would probably say: 'OK, we're going to have a test but what is it? What is this material that they're going to be tested on or expected to know?"'
The Government announced in December that it would introduce a citizenship test on basic aspects of Australian society and values, as well as an English language component.
The test will include an oral component and a computer-based test of 30 questions drawn randomly from a pool of 200 questions.
It will be based on the existing Australian Migrant English Program syllabus, which covers legal and political matters, landmarks and national symbols, reconciliation and the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen.
MPs and community groups are eager to see the booklet because it will form the basis of the multiple choice questions prospective citizens will be asked.
Mr Andrews said Macquarie University in Sydney was preparing the resources on values, which included material on "the rule of law, the fact that we live in what I'd call a secular legal regime, the place of courts and respect for courts (and that) men and women are equal".
Mr Andrews said he was involved in compiling material about the history of Australia.
"There's a short potted history of Australia I suppose which I'm taking a hands-on interest in and doing some work on myself - history was one of the subjects I did my arts degree major in, so I have an ongoing interest in history," he said.
Another issue to be resolved before the test is introduced is where prospective citizens will be able to sit the examination.
Mr Andrews said he was considering having the test administered by existing government agencies such as Medicare and Centrelink.
THE introduction of a citizenship test has been delayed because the federal Government has yet to complete a booklet on which questions about Australia's history and values will be based.
The citizenship bill is now likely to be introduced in the May session of parliament.
Despite the revised timeline, Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said he was confident the test would be ready before the federal election later this year, saying it would be introduced by "September or October".
"The bill was due to be introduced this session; we were always working on the material but we haven't quite got the material," he said. "We're getting a lot of work done in relation to the values and traditions so hopefully by mid-April we'll have most of the first draft together.
"My view was that it was best to have the material and the bill together because if we just put the bill in people would probably say: 'OK, we're going to have a test but what is it? What is this material that they're going to be tested on or expected to know?"'
The Government announced in December that it would introduce a citizenship test on basic aspects of Australian society and values, as well as an English language component.
The test will include an oral component and a computer-based test of 30 questions drawn randomly from a pool of 200 questions.
It will be based on the existing Australian Migrant English Program syllabus, which covers legal and political matters, landmarks and national symbols, reconciliation and the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen.
MPs and community groups are eager to see the booklet because it will form the basis of the multiple choice questions prospective citizens will be asked.
Mr Andrews said Macquarie University in Sydney was preparing the resources on values, which included material on "the rule of law, the fact that we live in what I'd call a secular legal regime, the place of courts and respect for courts (and that) men and women are equal".
Mr Andrews said he was involved in compiling material about the history of Australia.
"There's a short potted history of Australia I suppose which I'm taking a hands-on interest in and doing some work on myself - history was one of the subjects I did my arts degree major in, so I have an ongoing interest in history," he said.
Another issue to be resolved before the test is introduced is where prospective citizens will be able to sit the examination.
Mr Andrews said he was considering having the test administered by existing government agencies such as Medicare and Centrelink.