Australia has unveiled details of a new citizenship test for immigrants.<\/p>\n
They will be asked questions about history, institutions and culture – as well as committing to Australian social values focusing on "mateship".<\/p>\n
The aim of the test was to get "that balance between diversity and integration correct in future", said Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.<\/p>\n
Critics believe the requirement of an English language exam discriminates against non-English speakers.<\/p>\n
The new citizenship test is expected to be introduced later this year.<\/p>\n
The details were unveiled in a 40-page draft guide that is to be given to all applicants.<\/p>\n
The prospective citizen will have to give a correct answer to 12 out of 20 questions – drawn from a total of about 200.<\/p>\n
Some elements will almost certainly be beyond the knowledge of many ordinary Australians, says the BBC’s Nick Bryant in Sydney.<\/p>\n
They include knowing the country’s first prime minister or when European settlers arrived in Australia – or what the opening line of the national anthem is. Another one could be related to the nation’s most important horse race.<\/p>\n
Applicants who fail the test will be allowed to re-sit the examination.<\/p>\n
But Kate Gauthier, national co-ordinator of refugee support group A Just Australia, criticised the government for introducing a citizenship exam.<\/p>\n
"If they want to have Australia be more integrated they should spend more money on programs that achieve that instead of punishing people who are having trouble achieving that [integration] because they have language barriers and are recovering from things like torture," she was quoted as saying to the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper.<\/p>\n
For the first time, the draft guide lists 10 essential Australian values every citizen must embrace – focusing on "mateship and a fair go" and including tolerance, compassion, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and secular government, equality of men and women and peacefulness.<\/p>\n
It describes Australia as "a nation at ease with the world and itself", but it expects potential citizens to respect Australia’s core values.<\/p>\n
"Australia has a strong tradition of mateship in which people help and receive help from others voluntarily, especially in times of adversity," it says.<\/p>\n
"A mate can be a spouse, partner, brother, sister, daughter, son or friend. A mate can be a stranger."<\/p>\n
The formulation caused controversy in 1999 when voters rejected an attempt by Prime Minister John Howard to have the concept written into the preamble to the constitution.<\/p>\n
It was criticised as too sexist, or inappropriate for a formal document.