Annette Ellis (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have the pleasure this morning to talk about the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Testing) Bill 2007. This bill amends the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to ensure that applicants for citizenship complete a more formalised test before applying for citizenship. The bill outlines the general eligibility criteria for Australian citizenship—that is, applicants applying for citizenship understand the nature of their application, possess a basic knowledge of the English language and have an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship. It is worthy to note, as other speakers have done, that we already have a citizenship test in this country and this is taking that just a step further.

Interestingly, the legislation that we see today is in fact a long way from the citizenship test first proposed back in December 2006 by the government. It is reassuring to me that some of the more level heads in the government seem to have prevailed and that this test does not represent what was going to become an unreasonable barrier to residents of Australia becoming Australian citizens. I am pleased to see the government back-pedalling a little on this particular issue. I understand we will see sensible exemptions for the test, including for those with literacy problems and for people under 18 years of age or over 60 years of age. Those with literacy difficulties will be able to have the test read to them. Also, discretion will be exercised for those people with permanent physical disability or mental impairment which prevents them from fully comprehending the test requirements. That, frankly, is how it should be.

This test will comprise 20 multiple-choice questions drawn randomly from a large pool of questions. We have not yet been presented with those questions at this point. A resource book will be available to aspiring citizens to assist them in preparing for the test. Sensibly, applicants for citizenship will be able to take the test as many times as they require to achieve a pass. I believe the pass mark required will be in the order of 60 per cent.

Labor, obviously, support this bill. However, our approach is somewhat different from the government’s approach. If we are successful at the upcoming election, Labor will improve the English language services available to migrants to help them learn conversational English. This bill, together with Labor’s proposed boost to English language tuition, should not be seen as putting another obstacle in the way of those people aspiring to be new Australians. Labor’s policy announcement is a way of lifting the language skills and cultural knowledge of our new citizens. It will allow them to more fully participate in their communities, in the workforce and in the education system. Labor’s policy will assist new citizens to have a more rewarding life both socially and economically in our great country. We must ensure that, in imposing this test on them, we do not discourage worthy people from taking up Australian citizenship. We must give them the support they need to improve their English language skills and their understanding of our culture, our government and our society.

In the lead-up to this particular bill, I spoke quite strongly in this place about the wonderful contribution that people, historically, have made to this country from other parts of the world, despite not having English language skills. I want to say that again this morning, not in any way to deride the sort of contribution those people have made. If I remember accurately, I referred in more recent times in this place to experiences in my electorate, where the Greek community was holding a massive fundraising event for a charity organisation here in Canberra. All of the thankyou speeches made at that function about the contributions of those people in the room were in Greek. I had no problem with that at all.

We on this side of the parliament have very strong opinions about the need for us to stand behind people and to offer them the resources and the support to enable them to participate more fully and the need to offer that English language teaching in a full and proper way. Australia is a country built on the foundations of migration and tolerance. Those who have come here have added immensely to our society, our economy and our government. I am very privileged in this place to represent the electorate of Canberra. There are many great things about my electorate, not least of which is the fact that this parliament sits within my electorate boundaries. I am very proud of that.

Another important historical point that I would like to bring to the attention of the House, or remind those who already know it, is that the first citizenship ceremony ever held in this country was held in 1949 in the Albert Hall, just down the road from this building and next to the Hyatt Hotel, as we know it today. There is a very strong historical connection for my city with Australian citizenship, as we know it in our modern processes.

One other fantastic feature of this electorate is that it contains over 90 diplomatic missions of countries all around the world. This gives the city of Canberra a bit of a mini United Nations feel. We have a cultural diversity and an appreciation for that diversity which would be unrivalled in any city in Australia. We are very proud of the cultural diversity that the embassies and the high commissions bring to our city.

Of course, the diplomatic missions are not the be all and end all of cultural diversity for the bush capital, as we are known. For example, here in Canberra we celebrate the National Multicultural Festival every year. It is a wonderfully colourful gathering, involving not only those people from Canberra but also those many thousands of people from all other parts of the world. I say to members: if you have not already done so, if the next Multicultural Festival in Canberra coincides with a visit to the ACT, I would strongly encourage you to participate. It is the most wonderful gathering of scores of different cultures which are living in this city and of which we are extremely proud.

I would also like to take this opportunity to talk briefly about some of the wonderful cultural groups who operate in a very concerted fashion in my community. Every one of these communities makes a fantastic contribution to the fabric of our town and they contribute in so many ways. I will begin with the Greek community in Canberra, a community that I am very proud to be associated with. They have certainly delivered huge cultural benefits to Canberra over many decades. They hold the annual Greek festival, the Glendi, and they operate the very successful Hellenic Club, located just 10 or 15 minutes from this parliament. Many members of this parliament may have taken the short drive down there and enjoyed some of the Greek hospitality at that facility. They have also contributed to the construction of the Australian-Hellenic Memorial on Anzac Parade, commemorating the combined sacrifices of our soldiers in the defence of Greece and Crete in World War II in particular. I have attended many a service at that particular memorial with our Greek community. The other point I want to make about this particular community is its economic contribution to the ACT. Many leading businesspeople in this town are of Greek background. They have stayed here through good times and bad and have invested great confidence in our community here. They are to be respected and regarded for that.

Another community I want to mention is the people from Laos. This is a wonderful group, much smaller than the Greek community. They have their Lao new year celebrations. They put a lot of time and effort into participating in the local festivals around the city and they put a lot of work into ensuring that their culture is passed on and inherited by their younger generations so that that connection and that cultural heritage can continue.

The Philippine Cultural Society is another group I want to talk about. They participate in virtually any and every opportunity they have to display their culture to the broader community. I have the pleasure of attending the Philippines Independence Day function in June of each year. On a more sad note I want to take the opportunity to note the very sad passing of their past President Mr John Simmons only in the last week. He was the president of that society for many years as well as holding other roles within the organisation. It is very sad to note his passing, but in doing so I pay regard to his dedication to the Filipino community in Canberra and to his determination that they continue with the joy of life that he and others have demonstrated.

We also of course have a large community from the Italian part of the world. Again, many members may have visited the Italian club just down the road. Again, they have provided a great investment, in both an economic and a cultural sense, in this city of ours.

The Scottish community, or the Canberra Highland Society, as it is known, is based at the Burns Club. The Burns Club Pipe Band, which recently celebrated its 70th anniversary in the ACT, performs nationally and internationally and is a champion pipe band. Again, this is a wonderful retaining of culture by people who work so hard to make sure that they not only retain that culture but develop and grow it, and the community around them gets to experience and understand that culture.

Earlier this year I celebrated the Bangladesh Mother Language Day with the Bangladesh Australia Association. We also have a strong Thai community in my electorate, with whom I also have a close association. Again, they put so much effort into ensuring not just the retention but the growth and the continuation of their wonderful culture. On a smaller scale is the Austrian Choir in the Austrian community. This choir has been operating for 27 years, performing all around the city and sharing their cultural contribution with people in Canberra. Then we have Mr Sam Wong and his colleagues from the ACT Chinese Australian Association, who again are dedicated to participating in a wholesome, good, contributing way within the community. The Maltese community is another longstanding ethnic community here in Canberra who represent themselves so well. The list could go on and on. At the risk of missing some, I cannot list them all. But we are very proud here in Canberra. I believe that we practise multiculturalism very well here. The Multicultural Festival is probably the best example that one can trot out of just how all these communities, in their own small ways, contribute so much to our society and on this annual basis get together en masse to show us who they are, where they are from and what values they bring to us.

Like many members in this place I get the opportunity to regularly attend citizenship ceremonies. When I stand in front of a room of 40, 50, 60 or 80 people from 20 or 30 different backgrounds, all of whom have made the big decision to not only come here to live, to choose Australia and/or this city for their families’ future, but to take the pledge that they do, I always find those ceremonies very moving. To me it is a very big thing to step out from where you come from and to adopt this new city and this new country in the way that they do. I always say to the people at those ceremonies: ‘Please, never turn your back on where you are from or the culture you have. Bring it with you, share it with us and allow us to learn from you.’ Australia is what it is, Canberra is what it is, because of people like that. I hope we see that continue into the future.

The reason that I raise all of these examples of groups who contribute to my local community is that I do not think any of us in this place would want to see Australia denied the rewards of having these tremendously active ethnic communities in our electorates. As I said earlier, the citizenship test should not become another obstacle for aspiring Australians to become citizens. Labor’s recently announced policy for expanding the Adult Migrant English Program, the AMEP, will make sure that this is not the case. The government’s own figures show that in 2005, I understand, only 11 per cent of people who exited the AMEP could speak functional English. There could be a lot of reasons for that, but it is not a very good record. The government say they want migrants to be able to speak English. But I believe you cannot expect that to happen if you do not put the resources and the money into that valid and needed investment. When I have met small groups at our local colleges or the CIT, the TAFE, where there are adult English programs going on, they tell you very clearly: ‘We want to be able to continue this until we feel confident with what we are learning. Please don’t cut us short in our access to these programs.’

We in Labor will ensure that that will in fact happen and that they can have the adequate access that they want. We will fund improved and expanded English language tuition to the tune of almost $50 million. Too many people are left to their own devices when they reach the maximum number of hours allotted to them under the current regime. One size fits all simply does not work. Labor will introduce a traineeship in English and work readiness, which will be designed to allow new entrants to continue their English language tuition while developing knowledge, skills and experience in Australian workplace culture and practice. Our redesigned Adult Migrant English Program will have a greater focus on vocational English to better enable new residents to apply for a job and to communicate at work. We will require tenderers for the new AMEP to have a close relationship with Job Network providers. This will assist new residents to have pathways to employment. Labor will also introduce a new Employment Pathways program, where extra English language tuition hours will be allocated to those students who need it most. In summary, the introduction of a citizenship test can be beneficial to both migrants and Australia as whole, both socially and economically, but only if the introduction of the test is matched with resources to help new migrants become fully engaged in Australian society in every sense. The test should not be an unreasonable barrier to citizenship.

In conclusion, I want to thank quite sincerely all the fantastic people who live in my community—the ones I have mentioned and the ones I have not mentioned—and have added so much value and so much understanding for all of us. We have learnt how to live together and how to enjoy each other’s cultures at the same time. We have so many examples of how well it can work here in Canberra. We do it well. I thank those people not only for that but particularly for deciding to come to Australia and choosing to set up home here. They have added enormously to our community and I thank them for it.

See this speech in context