By IANS
New Delhi : The new citizenship test introduced by Australia “does not adversely” affect persons of Indian origin, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament Thursday.
“The test does not adversely affect persons of Indian origin applying for Australian citizenship,” Mukherjee said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The new citizenship test was introduced Oct 1, 2007 as essential qualification to acquire Australian citizenship. It measures the applicant’s knowledge of the English language, of Australia and of the responsibilities and privileges of being an Australian citizen.
The test questions are drawn from a booklet, “Becoming an Australian citizen”, which is given to applicants free of charge.
If the applicant has low proficiency in English, he or she can take part in a government-sponsored English language tuition, called the “Adult Migrants English Programme”.
Once he or she completes at least 400 hours of this programme, then the applicant is eligible for special assistance at the testing centre by officials who read out the questions and possible answers.