Australia’s most Leftist State government opposes Federal citizenship requirements

Victoria is on a collision course with the Federal Government over a proposed compulsory citizenship test, which would test migrants’ English skills and knowledge of Australian values. Andrew Robb, the parliamentary secretary to the Immigration Minister, has pledged to have a “serious look” at introducing a compulsory citizenship test. He said in April it was essential new citizens learned English and made a commitment to “common values” in order to integrate into “our Australian family”.

But state Multicultural Affairs Minister John Pandazopoulos is expected to voice the Victorian Government’s “complete opposition” to a compulsory test at a meeting with Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone and state and territory ministers in New Zealand tomorrow. The Age believes Mr Pandazopoulos will raise concerns that a compulsory test would create a discriminatory, two-tiered system in Australia, where those who did not speak fluent English were seen as less worthy of being an Australian citizen than those born here. Mr Pandazopoulos will stress to the Ministerial Council on Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in Wellington tomorrow that Australia is a multicultural society and the ability to speak fluent English should not predicate citizenship. He is likely to point out that not all migrants who come to Australia are young and educated, and many refugees can barely read and write in their own language.

The Age believes the Victorian Government has expressed concerns that many countries that have tried to introduce citizenship tests have had problems. The German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg sparked national controversy early this year when it introduced a citizenship test that included questions about a person’s view on homosexuality, forced marriage and women’s rights. It was branded the “Muslim Test”. Critics claimed it was aimed at the state’s large Turkish community.

The meeting, to be attended by Senator Vanstone, the multicultural affairs ministers in each state and territory and several New Zealand ministers, will also discuss ways to stamp out religious extremism. A multimillion-dollar national action plan is likely to include the establishment of an Institute of Islamic Studies within a prominent Australian University, programs to encourage Muslim youths to play mainstream sports and a jobs scheme for unemployed Muslims.

Earlier this year Mr Robb said one of the ways of preventing fanaticism getting a toehold was to aim employment programs at young Muslims. “Fifty per cent of the 300,000 Muslims in Australia are 24 years and younger and there are big pockets of unemployment, and that leads to frustration and anger and aimlessness,” he said at the time. “We have to have a prime focus on getting young Muslims educated and ready for jobs and into real jobs, good jobs.”

But The Age believes the Victorian Government is opposed to any strategy that targets one religion. It is expected to argue that singling out Muslims only serves to perpetuate the myth that Muslims are the only people responsible for extremism. The Victorian Government will also call for a national review of the use by police of ethnic descriptions such as “of Middle Eastern appearance”.

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Posted by jonjayray on Thursday, July 13, 2006 at 04:04 AM in
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Comments:

Posted by Guessedworker on July 13, 2006, 04:38 AM | #

That sounds like a pretty neat, governmental slur on white Australians. Who owns The Age, btw?

Posted by John S Bolton on July 13, 2006, 05:45 AM | #

Interesting that they admit that multiculturalism means no official language, or opposition to there being one.
Enforcing the growth of lack of community of values and common understanding, would seem to be rather nakedly malice-driven.
The left has always sought ways to provoke conflict, since reason cannot support their cause.
Unspeakably unprincipled as the left has now become, they seize upon a chance to make alliances with murderously hate-filled moslem theocracy; just to instigate some conflicts from which power might flow.
Leftist subhumanity licks the boots of moslem terrorists.

Posted by Matra on July 13, 2006, 02:32 PM | #

Mr Pandazopoulos will stress to the Ministerial Council on Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in Wellington tomorrow that Australia is a multicultural society and the ability to speak fluent English should not predicate citizenship.

I wonder if his Greek background plays a part in this. Once again we see non-Anglo-Saxon Europeans whose parents and grandparents were allowed to live in an Anglo-Saxon country doing their worst to destroy that country. I know not all Greeks are like that (Kubilai, where are you?) but in Australia and Canada the prominent Greeks and their cultural organisations (government funded in Canada) push multiculturalism just like any non-whites and Jews.

He [Pandazopoulos] is likely to point out that not all migrants who come to Australia are young and educated, and many refugees can barely read and write in their own language.

So why are they being allowed in? What contribution could they possibly make to Australia that native Aussies are incapable of?

Posted by rustymason on July 13, 2006, 02:38 PM | #

“So why are they being allowed in? What contribution could they possibly make to Australia that native Aussies are incapable of?”

To assuage White Guilt, to obtain lower wage workers, to prove to one’s governmental peers that one is “with the program.” Multicultism is a religion that even the elite are vulnerable to, probably more so. No one wants to be a heretic, each tries to be a good believer. So the non-Whites are trucked in in ever greater numbers.

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