Tests for Potential Aussies
New arrivals to our fair land will be tested on English and Aushtrayan history, according to our PM:
Under tough new measures proposed by the government, would-be citizens also would have to have a greater knowledge of Australian customs and values, Mr Howard said.
Details of the plan are expected to be unveiled on Sunday, but today Mr Howard confirmed there would be a strong language component and a history test that some Australian-born citizens might struggle to pass.
Personally - coming from a son of an immigrant - I think new citizens should be tested on their English skills to a degree (despite what the editor of the Big Issue, the Irish clown, thinks). What I find amusing is testing potential citizens on Australian history considering how little "true-blue" Aussies know about their own history. I dare say my history is slightly higher than most, and it's severely lacking.
People have misconceptions about Australia (like we are descended mostly from convicts), know little of past prominent Australians (unless they played sports or wrestled crocodiles), and have a small knowledge of the roles our country has played throughout history. Can you name two Australian Nobel prize winners in any field? Or three Governors? Did you know that the colony of New Australia was founded in South America by Australian socialists?
The excuse "we have no history" is pathetic. Wouldn't that suggest our history would be quick and easy to learn? Oh well, perhaps immigrants knowing more Australian history will encourage the rest of us to learn some .
Under tough new measures proposed by the government, would-be citizens also would have to have a greater knowledge of Australian customs and values, Mr Howard said.
Details of the plan are expected to be unveiled on Sunday, but today Mr Howard confirmed there would be a strong language component and a history test that some Australian-born citizens might struggle to pass.
Personally - coming from a son of an immigrant - I think new citizens should be tested on their English skills to a degree (despite what the editor of the Big Issue, the Irish clown, thinks). What I find amusing is testing potential citizens on Australian history considering how little "true-blue" Aussies know about their own history. I dare say my history is slightly higher than most, and it's severely lacking.
People have misconceptions about Australia (like we are descended mostly from convicts), know little of past prominent Australians (unless they played sports or wrestled crocodiles), and have a small knowledge of the roles our country has played throughout history. Can you name two Australian Nobel prize winners in any field? Or three Governors? Did you know that the colony of New Australia was founded in South America by Australian socialists?
The excuse "we have no history" is pathetic. Wouldn't that suggest our history would be quick and easy to learn? Oh well, perhaps immigrants knowing more Australian history will encourage the rest of us to learn some .
posted by Engels at 1:31 pm
9 Comments:
Can you name two Australian Nobel prize winners in any field?
Florey, Burnett (medicine), Patrick White (literature)
Or three Governors?
Phillip, Bligh, King
Did you know that the colony of New Australia was founded in South America by Australian socialists?
Yep.
Well, I expected you would. I was thinking more Lawrence Bragg (physics) or Peter Doherty (medicine) who was incidentally from Brisbane.
Apparently White didn't call himself Oz. I say we claim him regardless. It's the Aussie way...
Incidentally, I noticed a couple of weeks back that somebody had deleted the Governor Philip article on wiki. You can still see the aritcle on answers.com
It's still there.
Q. How many ships were part of the first fleet?
A. 11
From the underside of a carlton draught bottle cap. I think we should have someone sitting there at customs with beers that have Q's on the underside, offering immigrants a beer then asking them a Q. Firstly, they must accept the beer, otherwise they're out, then they must attempt the question. If they get it wrong, they must drink the beer (skulling(sp?) it maybe?) and they'll still pass.
If only I were the PM.
PS. if that Q and A about the first fleet is wrong, I apologies, I was drunk last night when I read it out, I'm pretty certain it was 11 tho!
Haha, it was indeed 11. I can only remember the two military ships - Sirius and Supply.
I reckon your test is a winner Martini.
Last night was the first and last night I wear eye shadow and eye liner - I did look good though...
Aidan, I noticed it's back now. It had been replaced with a 10-word article for a while there.
The issue is not really that they know Australian history as we "true blue" Australians know it, but that they learn the version Mr Howard want to re-write.
On another topic (because I know this won't be included in the Howard History test), can anyone name 3 indigenous tribes that inhabited Australia before European settlement?
We have a larger history than one might initially think.
I thought Howard was keen on removing "themes" (some of those being guilt-based) and replacing them with "facts" in history. I am all for any apsects of aborinal culture being taught in schools (and I was under the impression they were now). Should the teachers include the alleged poor treament of women by tribes in the history class as well? This issue is far too convoluted and complex (hence the current History Wars) for a single comment.
Unfortunately, due to its nature, history (pre-European) is scarce as Australian aborigines had no formal writing system (although I hear there are some paintings of Chinese and Europeans with muskets in the NT). Similarly, I believe our knowledge of the Germanic tribes circa Caesar relies upon the observations of Roman scribes (and archaeology).
Apparently, the Wurundjeri people are the traditional inhabitants of some of the places in my suburb (you may have seen them on Safran). That's all I can name and I grew up in a town with a large aboriginal population and a newly built aboriginal musuem though I'm terrible at recalling "foreign" names. We also had 6000-year old rock fish traps. Arguably, somebody like Governor La Trobe probably had a more enduring effect on Australia than an invidual tribe (partly due to their small size).
This is officially my longest comment.
Post a Comment
<< Home