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Calls to scrap Australia's written citizenship test
The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) ^ | 28th July 2011 | Bruce McDougall and Tim Vollmer

Posted on 07/27/2011 3:59:03 PM PDT by naturalman1975

THE federal government faces calls to scrap Australia's written citizenship test because it is too hard for thousands of migrants who cannot understand the questions.

New Australians are refusing the test for fear of failing and being deported, with just 9043 migrants applying from October to December last year when there should have been about 30,000, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A submission to the Inquiry into Multiculturalism said almost 23 per cent of Sudanese migrants, 17.5 per cent of Afghanis and 16 per cent of Iraqis fail to pass the test on first or subsequent attempts.

The NSW Teachers' Federation demanded the government drop the written questions and return to a "basic spoken English test" as used in the past.

"The citizenship test requires near native-speaker competence in English," the federation's submission says.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: citizenship; immigration; multiculturalism; teachers; union; unions
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"The citizenship test requires near native-speaker competence in English," the federation's submission says.

God forbid that we might want Australian citizens to have near native-speaker competence in English.

Bear in mind that virtually anybody living in Australia who is eligible to apply for citizenship will already have a permanent residency visa - they are not in danger of being deported, they can live here, work here, do most things here - can't vote, serve on juries, things like that, but they can do most things. We're not kicking people out because they can't pass an English test. But if they want to be a citizen, they are expected to pass a test that shows they have good English skills and a decent understanding of basic Australian culture and history. 23% of Sudanese migrants fail the test the first time they try it - that means 77% pass. When three quarters can pass it, it doesn't seem unreasonably hard either.

If the NSW Teachers' Federation regards that as unreasonable, it tells us a lot about the NSW Teachers' Federation.

1 posted on 07/27/2011 3:59:08 PM PDT by naturalman1975
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To: naturalman1975

A Citizenship test SHOULD be hard...


2 posted on 07/27/2011 4:01:21 PM PDT by Little Ray (Best Conservative in the Primary; AGAINST Obama in the General.)
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To: naturalman1975

I thought they spoke Strine down there...


3 posted on 07/27/2011 4:04:18 PM PDT by RitchieAprile
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To: naturalman1975

*facepalm*

national suicide, like Londonistan and EUSSR


4 posted on 07/27/2011 4:06:06 PM PDT by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Happiness)
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To: naturalman1975
If the NSW Teachers' Federation regards that as unreasonable, it tells us a lot about the NSW Teachers' Federation.

When you see how badly teachers do on any tests of teacher-competency, you can imagine they're concerned about being out-performed, even replaced, by newly-arrived migrants from Sudan. Bad for the teachers' self-esteem, you know!

5 posted on 07/27/2011 4:06:38 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Do you know why I love reptiles? It's because they don't play guitars.)
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To: naturalman1975

Gee, I wanto be a docter. But them docter tests scare me!

Kin I just get the docter prise anyway?


6 posted on 07/27/2011 4:06:54 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: naturalman1975

And so it starts.


7 posted on 07/27/2011 4:07:30 PM PDT by Cyman
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To: naturalman1975

Crikey! I had to learn Strine before I could communicate with people here. Not only that, I had to learn to add “our” to words like “labour” and “colour” and then “re” to “centre” so when I wrote they could understand me. Seems the world liberals want to turn their countries over to those who don’t want to or can’t assimilate.


8 posted on 07/27/2011 4:12:12 PM PDT by SkyDancer (You know, they invented wheelbarrows to teach government employees how to walk on their hind legs.)
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To: naturalman1975

Heck, why bother with a visa or other silly government paperwork. Just let ‘em all come and go as they please like we do in America. Really, what could possibly go wrong?


9 posted on 07/27/2011 4:16:20 PM PDT by bgill
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To: naturalman1975

Why are “Sudanese, Afghanis, and Iraqis” coming to Australia anyway?


10 posted on 07/27/2011 4:19:14 PM PDT by Christian Engineer Mass (25ish Cambridge MA grad student. Many conservative Christians my age out there? __ Click my name)
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To: Christian Engineer Mass

Because Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq are s**tholes.


11 posted on 07/27/2011 4:20:26 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Do you know why I love reptiles? It's because they don't play guitars.)
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To: bgill
I know you're being sarcastic; but the first thing that came to mind after reading your post was that, if codified, someone in State Department would probably demand reciprocity from places like Sudan and Zimbabwe.
12 posted on 07/27/2011 4:30:04 PM PDT by norton
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To: SkyDancer

Ebonics


13 posted on 07/27/2011 4:30:24 PM PDT by Myrddin
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To: naturalman1975
God forbid that we might want Australian citizens to have near native-speaker competence in English.

Will the Aussies flunk you for writing "gray" instead of "grey" or "color" instead of "colour"?

14 posted on 07/27/2011 4:33:46 PM PDT by Polybius
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To: naturalman1975

I just passed it with no preparation, it is all common sense.


15 posted on 07/27/2011 4:35:46 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, A Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: Myrddin

Yo What ah wuz sayin` wuz ah had ta learn Australian lingo ta git along down here just like mammy.


16 posted on 07/27/2011 4:36:28 PM PDT by SkyDancer (You know, they invented wheelbarrows to teach government employees how to walk on their hind legs.)
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To: Polybius
Will the Aussies flunk you for writing "gray" instead of "grey" or "color" instead of "colour"?

It cost me points on English assignments in a Canadian high school in the late '70s.

17 posted on 07/27/2011 4:40:10 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
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To: naturalman1975

Do not lower your standards for any reason.

Great advice to live by.


18 posted on 07/27/2011 4:43:14 PM PDT by Joe Boucher ((FUBO) Don't trust the F.B.I.)
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To: naturalman1975

Question #8: (T or F) Putting a shrimp on the barbie means decorating a children’s doll with prawns.


19 posted on 07/27/2011 4:45:44 PM PDT by OrangeHoof (Obama: The Dr. Kevorkian of the American economy.)
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To: naturalman1975
You have to be kidding me. I got all 20 questions right in five minutes.

Tells you a lot about those savages trying to become citizens...they're going to knock the collective IQ down along with buildings as well.

20 posted on 07/27/2011 4:48:17 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
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