English Test for Migrants

[Mujer Libre]

It's official- migrants in Australia wanting citizenship have to wait four years (it used to be two) and now have to take a language test. The Howard government denies that it's being racist and exclusionary, claiming that it's aiming for "integration" into the Australian community. Anyone with a brain can see that "integration" means assimilation into the dominant (Anglo-Celtic) culture.

This, as well as the restrictive nature of these laws is evident in the fact that new migrant have to sign a commitment to "Australian values." Sorry, whose values?

Also, the latent racism behind these laws is revealed in this extract:


Originally posted by Online Opinion
Mr Robb’s paper fails to provide any evidence that people are refusing to learn English and does not comment on some of the barriers to learning English faced by new migrants. Rather than imposing a discriminatory citizenship test the Government could consider providing more flexibility in the provision of English language training through more flexible and better funded English language training. The journey to English language proficiency is hugely important but people need help.

The Prime Minister, John Howard, has recently lavished praise on the Australian Greek community as an example of a community that has successfully integrated into the Australian community while retaining a love of their country of origin.

The irony of the Prime Minister’s comments is that the Greek community has relatively low rates of English language proficiency in comparison with other communities, with 67.9 per cent of Greek Australians reported as having good English from the 2001 census. Many older members of the Greek Australian community would not pass an Australian citizenship test with a stricter English component.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5227

So Greeks are a-ok, even when they don't speak English. Hmm.

And let's not forget that the Labor Party in general supports these changes and that a values test was Kim Beazley's proposal.

[pedro san pedro]

what will the 'values' test consist of?

[Mujer Libre]

Originally posted by pedro san [email protected] 12, 2006 01:12 am
what will the 'values' test consist of?
From what I can gather there isn't a separate values test at the moment, although the English test will have elements of Australian history (no doubt vetted by Keith Windschuttle) and "values" incorporated into it.

The values that citizens have to sign that they respect are:

respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual, support for democracy, commitment to the rule of law, the equality of men and women, the spirit of a fair go and mutual respect and compassion for those in need.

The government clearly fails the last three.

Of course, those values are all interpreted from the government's point of view, so "democracy" is liberal democracy and a "fair go" is just there as a filler to make people feel better.

[apathy maybe]

I'ld probably fail any "values test". Ironic, I am Australian, therefore my values are Australian values. I think they should call it the "what the government thinks are mainstream values test". That would be more honest (not that you would expect that from Howard and co.).

It was Whitlem who reduced the citizenship waiting period from four years to two years. Howard is simply putting it back to what it was. I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing, not that I think it is a good thing. People can get permanent residency and stay in the country anyway.

[Tekun]

This type of shit is going all over the world
I recently heard Bush and Blair say the same thing, in addition to some "pro-immigrant Democrats"
Diversity has been replaced by assimilation or as they like to call it "integration"

[Hiero]

It is completely ridiculous. I want to see what these politicians are basing the idea that people don't want to learn english.

Also as a communist I would probally fail the values test.

[Marsella]

I agree with what most of you guys say...but whats wrong with people new-citizens being required to learn the English language? Wouldn't it help people of non-English speaking background & your average Australian communicate? I see no problem with the education of foreigners in all areas- numeracy, literacy. It would help them after all. Obviously the test seems to be more on forcing Australian values tho...

[Hiero]

The problem is it has not been made clear who these people are who do not want to speak english, even if any exist at all. Nor has it been proven there is a large problem with people not being able to speak fluent english.

Education for immigrants need to improved greatly, espically for African immigrants. In one case a baby boy died because the parents lacked the ability to call for help. However the government is not proposing the education we want.

I doubt there is a problem with langauge at all, besides for refugees. I know an old Greek man who is not very fluent in english, and can not read english at all. However life goes on, he has survived in Australia for well over 50 years. Today many young immigrants pick up the language and culture perfectly fine. Australia sinces it's brutal colonisation has had thousands of immigrants come from non-english speaking countries, and we manage to get by.

We have to wonder why the government is making changes now. One reason is to increase the Liberal style of nationalism during war time against the middle east. They want to control the middle eastern population in Australia through fear, try to intimidate them into supporting imperialist vaules and politics.

[Rollo]

Augh, the white australia policy is ringing in my ears again. If this so called integration is so important why don't we all speak spanish or there native language to help them become integrated? Because that would mean losing our nationalist values and our anglo-celtic culture as someone just posted before. If it's not racist to say our culture is better then theres so they should learn it, nothing else is.

[Black Dagger]

Originally posted by Johnny Coward
the spirit of a fair go

rrrrrrright, i know that was the myth that lept to mind when 'our' 'aussie as meat pies' government proposed IR 'reform' and the abolition of the 'unfair dismissal laws, lol! :rolleyes:

[Phalanx]

This sounds alot like the patriotism test the US introduced just a few weeks ago. The old white capitalists can't bare living in a multiracial society, so they block anyone who they deem unfit.

[Whitten]

If I were to move to South America, I would learn Spanish. If someone moves to an English speaking country, I would expect them to learn English.

[Gold Against The Soul]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13, 2006 05:52 am
If it's not racist to say our culture is better then theres so they should learn it, nothing else is.
I don't think it is quite on par with racism!. You're born who you are in terms of race and sex but we adopt culture. The same is true with religion. Therefore, I don't think there is anything intrinsically wrong with assimilation. The alternative multiculturalism, a respect and encouragement for 'difference' is far worst. Invariably the opposition always seems to come down to 'white' culture, which isn't what our common culture is it at all. This is the establishment assimilation. They want migrant workers to ‘assimilate’ the values of official/establishment, with its national myths and inventions. I oppose this from above but voluntary and democratic assimilation from below?. Nothing wrong with that.

[Gold Against The Soul]

Originally posted by Tatanka [email protected] 13, 2006 07:47 pm
This sounds alot like the patriotism test the US introduced just a few weeks ago. The old white capitalists can't bare living in a multiracial society, so they block anyone who they deem unfit.
Yes because there are no non-whites in these countries?. The capitalists can bare them just fine when they provide competition for Labour. They are also useful to keep the workers arguing about irrelvant issues with regards to race and culture, when the real issue is class.

To quote Marx on this folly of multiculturalism:


A country not only divided between Mohammedan and Hindu, but between tribe and tribe, between caste and caste; a society whose framework was based on a sort of equilibrium resulting from a general repulsion and constitutional exclusiveness between all its members. Such a country and such a society, were they not the predestined prey of conquest?… India, then, could not escape the fate of being conquered, and the whole of her past history, if it be anything, is the history of the successive conquests she has undergone… The question therefore is not whether the English had a right to conquer India, but whether we are to prefer India conquered by the Turk, by the Persian, by the Russian to India conquered by the Brition

[Phalanx]

Originally posted by Gold Against The Soul+December 13, 2006 09:36 pm--> (Gold Against The Soul @ December 13, 2006 09:36 pm)
Tatanka [email protected] 13, 2006 07:47 pm
This sounds alot like the patriotism test the US introduced just a few weeks ago. The old white capitalists can't bare living in a multiracial society, so they block anyone who they deem unfit.
Yes because there are no non-whites in these countries?. The capitalists can bare them just fine when they provide competition for Labour. They are also useful to keep the workers arguing about irrelvant issues with regards to race and culture, when the real issue is class.

[/b]
They don't want the racial hegemony of whites to disappear under the influx of non-white immigrants. Capitalists aren't just greedy, they can be very racist too!

[Black Dagger]

Originally posted by [email protected] 14, 2006 06:42 am
If I were to move to South America, I would learn Spanish. If someone moves to an English speaking country, I would expect them to learn English.
This isn't about learning english, it's about having proficient english-language skills upon application for migration.

[bezdomni]

A small city near where I live (Houston) just passed a law similar to this.

It's sickening.

[Ultra-Violence]

FUCK ASSIMILATION ITS A BUCNH OF BULL SHIT!

what about the aborigines what they had to go through in aus! HUH They were considerd SAVAGES wtf! And native americans here in america! its the destruction of culters! look theres nothing wrong with learning the language most people do that at of neccesity! But that morals test is a bunch of bullshit! but the history test make sense they do that every were

:hammer:

[Hiero]

Originally posted by [email protected] 14, 2006 07:42 am
If I were to move to South America, I would learn Spanish. If someone moves to an English speaking country, I would expect them to learn English.
Are you saying people don't learn English?

Your comment is stupid.