入澳籍將強製通過英文考試 (圖)

Speak English 'or go home'

By Mark Dunn
September 14, 2006 01:00am


ALL new Australian citizens would have to pass English tests under a plan to be announced soon by the Howard Government within weeks.

Thousands of migrants are refusing to take part in taxpayer-funded English courses each year and those applying for citizenship only need to show they understand the questions they are asked for citizenship to be granted.

A decision on mandatory English tests for citizenship is to be announced soon by Andrew Robb, parliamentary secretary for immigration and multicultural affairs.

"If these people want to reside here and take citizenship, they should have a functional grasp of English, that is why I have been canvassing the idea of a compulsory citizenship test with an English test component," Mr Robb told the Herald Sun.

All new non-English speaking migrants would also be encouraged to have English lessons to help them integrate into Australian society.

"We already have a compulsory test for skilled migrants - this year nearly 100,000 skilled workers, around 70 per cent of all migrants - were required to sit such a test," Mr Robb said.

"For refugees and the families of skilled migrants, they have an entitlement to English lessons if they haven't got functional English."

Although optional for non-skilled arrivals who speak little or no English, as few as 62 per cent of those turn up for study.

Senior ministers, including Alexander Downer, have expressed support for making English skills essential for migrants.

The push comes after Prime Minister John Howard called on all Muslims to learn and speak English and make stronger attempts to integrate into Australian society.

"Fully integrating means accepting Australian values, it means learning as rapidly as you can the English language if you don't already speak it," he said.

Mr Downer has also pressed for migrants to learn English.

"All migrants should speak English. If you come to Australia as a migrant and you can't speak English then you're going to be enormously disadvantaged," the Foreign Affairs Minister said.

"Migrants who come here and aren't able to learn the language are going to end up becoming alienated from the mainstream of society."

The number of migrants entering the English courses rose last year from 34,000 to 36,000.