Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I listen to what the Labor Party member says, but in the good-natured sense in which this debate is taking place. I am pleased to see that the member for Scullin is going to be making a contribution following me. The time frame—and I referred to the four-year time frame—which citizens will now have to wait before becoming eligible for Australian citizenship will give them a greater opportunity to become more familiar with our way of life. They will be able to understand better the essence of being Australian. They will also fully learn the commitment that citizenship is. I consider that these bills reflect changes to Australian society and they also make sure that those people who are privileged to become Australian citizens will have been here for an adequate period to acquire the knowledge of Australia necessary to fully participate in Australian society.

I am pleased, though, that there is no retrospectivity—despite what the member for Batman said before—in this legislation and that those who are permanent residents in Australia now will not be caught by the new requirements. They will be able to obtain their Australian citizenship following the traditional two-year period, provided they apply for citizenship within a period of, I think, three years of the commencement of the bill. The Australian Citizenship Act has served Australia well and the new act is more than capable of taking its place.

I want to commend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs for his paper calling for submissions from the Australian community on matters surrounding this area. I believe an English language test is very important. There is an undeniable connection between being able to read and write—and, for that matter, count—and being able to get a job. Having large numbers of migrants who have been here for many years not actually being able to speak English is not a healthy sign. It means that they are excluded from some elements of participation in Australian society. If we could ever acquire a situation where everyone could speak English, then I think that would be a very positive step.

I, of course, would encourage people to not lose the language of their birth, their mother tongue, but it really is important that they should speak English. I think it is important, given the fact that we have huge numbers of people who want to come to Australia, to have them learn English before they come here rather than to be a drain on the resources of the Australian taxpayer and learn English once they actually are here. Having said that, of course, those residents who do not currently speak English obviously ought to have access to a range of facilities to enable them to obtain an appropriate level of English language competency. I commend the Australian Citizenship Bill 2005 and the Australian Citizenship (Transitionals and Consequentials) Bill 2005 to the House. I invite the member for Scullin to speak, and I hope that he can maintain self-control.

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