New Citizenship Laws - A White Australia?
September 15th 2006 07:27
Prime Minister John Howard has recently announced a plan to toughen citizenship laws in Australia. Before becoming eligible for citizenship, it is proposed that migrants will have to do the following:
1. Live in Australia for at least 4 years.
2. Pass an English language test.
3. Pass a knowledge test on Australian history.
4. Pass a test on Australian customs and values.
There have been a number of different reactions to these proposed changes. One is that by instituting such tests, our country is slowly stepping back towards the “White Australia Policy”. According to Senator Brown, from the Greens, “it simply means it’s going to become harder to come to Australia if you don’t have an anglo background”.
So I started thinking…
Are we really all about being “anglo” and speaking perfect English? What about those who are illiterate, aged and as a result, have learning difficulties? If they can’t learn the language as well as Mr Howard would like, do they not have a right to become part of this society too? What if some people just don’t have the opportunity or the money to learn English before they get here? And do we really need to have an in-depth knowledge of the history of our nation? If so, what are we going to teach them? That indigenous Australians were massacred? That we enacted laws to keep the Chinese out? That there were recent racial riots in Cronulla? Can we really instill customs into people by making them sit an exam? And what values are we talking about here? Are Aussie values so different to the rest of the world’s human values?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this country about the delicious mix of cultures that’s made this country one of the top destinations in the world? Isn’t it about driving your friends nuts on Saturday nights on Crown Street in Sydney not being able to choose between some Greek souvlaki and a tasty Italian pizza? Isn’t it about going to the Vietnamese markets and the Lebanese grocery and trying something different once in a while? Isn’t it about learning how to Latin dance and belly dance and cook like the sweet Indian lady next door? Isn’t it about open-mindedness and acceptance? Learning from one another and growing together? Isn’t it? ISN’T IT??
1. Live in Australia for at least 4 years.
2. Pass an English language test.
3. Pass a knowledge test on Australian history.
4. Pass a test on Australian customs and values.
There have been a number of different reactions to these proposed changes. One is that by instituting such tests, our country is slowly stepping back towards the “White Australia Policy”. According to Senator Brown, from the Greens, “it simply means it’s going to become harder to come to Australia if you don’t have an anglo background”.
So I started thinking…
Are we really all about being “anglo” and speaking perfect English? What about those who are illiterate, aged and as a result, have learning difficulties? If they can’t learn the language as well as Mr Howard would like, do they not have a right to become part of this society too? What if some people just don’t have the opportunity or the money to learn English before they get here? And do we really need to have an in-depth knowledge of the history of our nation? If so, what are we going to teach them? That indigenous Australians were massacred? That we enacted laws to keep the Chinese out? That there were recent racial riots in Cronulla? Can we really instill customs into people by making them sit an exam? And what values are we talking about here? Are Aussie values so different to the rest of the world’s human values?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this country about the delicious mix of cultures that’s made this country one of the top destinations in the world? Isn’t it about driving your friends nuts on Saturday nights on Crown Street in Sydney not being able to choose between some Greek souvlaki and a tasty Italian pizza? Isn’t it about going to the Vietnamese markets and the Lebanese grocery and trying something different once in a while? Isn’t it about learning how to Latin dance and belly dance and cook like the sweet Indian lady next door? Isn’t it about open-mindedness and acceptance? Learning from one another and growing together? Isn’t it? ISN’T IT??
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And unfortunately, the parts of sydney that are really interesting, ie, the ethnic communities, make it easy for new immigrants to refuse to integrate. Can't we have both, somehow?
Comment by Noel Hadjimichael