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| Down Under |
| Keeping them hopefully ... "Back of Bourke" |
| 2007-01-02 |
| A GUIDE to Australian life for potential migrants will be drawn up using a British booklet – called Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship - as a model, it was revealed yesterday. The booklet, to be printed only in English, will be a compulsory read for anyone applying for Australian citizenship in preparation for taking the proposed citizenship test. Latest Newspoll results have found 85 per cent of Australians now support the idea of a test that requires applicants to have a working level of English. Parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Robb said yesterday he was encouraged by the strong support for the legislation, which he aims to present in the autumn session. "The results reflect that a majority of people believe a working level of English for migrants is just common sense," he said. It was a basic requirement as workplaces get more sophisticated in their safety signage, he added. The test will comprise a written English-language exam and 30 multiple choice questions dealing with Australian life and values. The questions will be randomly generated from a pool of 200. Mr Robb said the answers would be contained in a handbook similar to one used by the British Government to familiarise potential migrants with life in Britain. Mr Robb started gathering material for the booklet after flagging the idea of a citizenship test last September. After studying models from Canada, Holland and the US, he decided the British one would be the most suitable. "We haven't started on the questions yet," Mr Robb said. "But the main exercise is to get people to read the booklet, gain an understanding of the Australian way of life and pass the test." He said the knowledge to pass the test would give migrants a better chance of finding jobs, communicating and navigating their way around more capably. The Government has also increased its capacity for English tuition for migrants, with applicants now able to access up to 510 hours of tuition and refugees up to 910 hours. More than 100,000 migrants from 175 countries have become citizens in the last year. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #6 Cricket? We use those to fish with... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-01-02 16:42 |
| #5 lbw rule |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-01-02 14:41 |
| #4 I think they should make a full explanation of the lbw (leg before wicket) rule a mandatory requirement. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-01-02 14:36 |
| #3 Rate your embarrassment level: A. High B. Hello C. How are you |
| Posted by: Eric Idle 2007-01-02 14:19 |
| #2 Ten (cricket) wickets in a furlong, Ship. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2007-01-02 13:26 |
| #1 1. How many wickets in a furlong? a. A score ii. 3 stone 3. 2 shillings and a groat D. Atlanta |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-01-02 12:03 |