Citizen Test Puts 'partial Picture'
The Age
Tuesday October 9, 2007
VICTORIA'S Governor David de Kretser has spoken out against the Howard Government's "disappointing" new citizenship test and made a strong defence of multiculturalism.
"It focuses not only on language but also on some aspects of our history which are certainly not representative of the wide and diverse backgrounds of our current citizens," he said. Professor de Kretser, who usually does not enter the political fray, made his remarks at a reception last night at Government House to mark the opening of the Metropolis migration conference. He also defended the right of people to don religious clothing of their choosing. "Politically and socially, notions of assimilation have begun to replace multiculturalism in the way our community speaks about culture and migration," he said. "There are trends to criticise traditional forms of dress and religious practice which can serve to perpetuate intolerance and accentuate divisions." Professor de Kretser, a Sri Lankan-born migrant to Australia, noted there were also "tendencies" to link community tensions to religious and racial difference, instead of acknowledging that these may have arisen from disparity in unemployment, education and access to community resources. Professor de Kretser noted that he had recently attended a reception for the Victorian multicultural awards at which some of the migrants, who came to Australia shortly after World War II, extolled the virtues of Australia in "English that was still not polished". He said some of these award winners may not have passed the citizenship test. "More than ever, a socially cohesive society is necessary to ensure the success of Australia's high immigration intake," he said. "Melbourne is home to one of the world's most diverse and multicultural societies. "On the whole, the migration to Australia has resulted in a cohesive multicultural society but there are examples of where stresses and strains have become apparent. This is most glaring in the outcomes from the first migration, or I should more appropriately have used the term colonisation. We still today have an indigenous community that is markedly disadvantaged."
© 2007 The Age