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On Being Australian

Newspaper current event by willwaddell on 24 May 2007, tagged as government

Australia has introduced a new citizenship test and it has garnered the acrimony of that country's chief Islamic body, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC). The Muslim advocacy group says it is "unfair" to expect migrants to study "Anglo-celtic and Judeo-Christian values," labeling such a test as fundamentally "un-Australian." The test will require immigrants to learn select elements of Australia's culture and history, as well, according to Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews, acknowledge the Judeo-Christian roots of the country's values. The president of the AFIC has said the test is "openly antagonistic" and pledged to push for a value-neutral exam. The debate, of course, begs the question: what does it mean to be Australian?

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Moot by Anonymous :: NR0

This won't matter much as the current Australian government is widely expected to loose the election later this year and the test will never become law.

It does not matter much what the AFIC thinks because Australians are generally not accepted at all as citizens of Islamic countries.

To be Australian means you are a citizen of the best country in the world.

Posted 26 May 2007, Hide, Reply
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The bit about "required to acknowledge" seems wrong by scottb :: NR7

I don't see any issue with requiring potential citizens to learn some historical facts about the country, but the claim that the test would "require immigrants to ... acknowledge the Judeo-Christian roots of the country's values" is bull. It's the standard anti-secular revisionism that religious conservatives play at when they're in government.

Australia was founded as a penal colony, for crying out loud. I'm guessing "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" weren't so very high among the values of many of these people.

Australia also has constitutional freedom of religion. The constitution prohibits the government from establishing a religion, from imposing any religious observance, and prohibits any religious test as a qualification for office. So it looks like "thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "remember the sabbath and keep it holy" aren't really on the list of values, either.

I'm not trying to bash Australia, here - from everything I've heard, it seems a pretty wonderful place today, and I've even thought about the possibility of living there for a while. But it's revisionist bull to say these are "Judeo-Christian" values - either in Australia or in the US. They're secular values, pure and simple.

Posted 26 May 2007, Hide, Reply