I really just want to write a string of expletives about this. But I won’t because that would be unprofessional.
IMMIGRANTS will need more than just a reasonable command of English if they want to become Australian citizens - a basic knowledge of cricket may also help.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, said yesterday a discussion paper on the new citizenship test, to be released tomorrow with an accompanying advertising campaign, would propose quizzing aspiring citizens’ language skills as well as their grasp of Australia’s history, culture and values.
It seems the PM is not only nostalgic for the white picket fences of his youth but also for the days of the White Australia Policy. How disturbing. And I blame Beazley. Wedge politics indeed.
It’s positively frightening for anyone who has done the Year 10 Modern European History unit on ‘How the Nazis came to Power through the Democratic Process’. Discussion paper comes out tomorrow, Sunday (you know, when everyone is at work reading the news and receiving faxes) - I’m sure it will be another source of professional quotations which are so ridiculous that we don’t even *need* expletives ;-)
Back to the days of the dictation test eh? Well let’s at least hope this time its really in English, not testing a afghani immigrant in macedonian or something :)
*sigh*
Yeah, but cricket? It may as well be Macedonian. I think I would definitely fail this “Australian values” test. I have no respect for our institutions as they are currently under this government and I freakin’ hate cricket. I still don’t understand how they score that game after living here all my life. Damn, did I just commit sedition?
I like this comment on the whole thing by Sharyn Raggett in New Matilda:
Seditious Blasphemy Anna! You’re right such a test seems to be from the outset problematic and exclusionary.
It seems such a test would reflect the likes and dislikes, visions and remembrances of the PM’s vision of Australian culture- one which not everyone subscribes to. -of cricket, ‘mateship’,being ‘laidback’, celebrating war history (only the glorious parts not the ugly bits) but probably ignoring the arts (Arts is elitist and thus also Un-Australian:)
what if you’re non-sporty, neurotic and a pacifist? That does make you un-Australian?
Are we reaffirming Australian values or Australian stereotypes? And is this also a particularly ‘male’ conception of Australian culture(not that women can’t like sports and drinking but you get what i mean)
anyway that’s my dissent (which I hope will never be un-Australian:)
Of course that makes you un-Australian. One can be called “un-Australian” for just about anything these days. “Australian” seems to be a very narrow limited thing to be. Actually I think by the way it’s used that the only Australian person in Australia is Steve Irwin. Oops. So, um, no, there’s no real Australians left.
And you’re right it is an extremely male conception of Australian culture.