When my father left war-ravaged Germany in 1951 aboard a ship full of labourers to build the suburbs of the Australian capital, Canberra, he was welcomed with open arms. Australia needed people with such skills, and there was no problem with him marrying a local girl, shortly after, settling down and building a new life.
Half a century later, Australia is a prosperous nation, but it has been growing at such a pace that it again needs skilled tradespeople. However, it is no longer so welcoming: as of Monday, potential migrants have to sit a 20-question test on things Australian to determine whether they may become citizens.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship explains on its website that the test aims to help potential citizens gain an understanding of the nation's 'values, traditions, history and national symbols'. 'It will promote social cohesion and successful integration into the community,' the introductory notes claim.
There is a pool of 200 questions from which the 20 are randomly culled, and none of them has been made public. Before a citizenship application form is handed over to people aged between 18 and 60, 10 of the 17 general questions - and all three relating to core values on which Australian society is based - must be answered correctly.
I have tried some of the sample tests in circulation and admit to getting a question wrong here and there, despite being an Australian citizen, passport holder and, dare I say, a patriot (depending on which political party is in government). One question answered incorrectly was, I suspect, a core-value one.
My father did not undergo such a test, but never had any problems integrating. Nor, generally, have the Britons, Chinese, Filipinos, Greeks, Italians, Vietnamese and scores of other nationalities who have swollen Australia's population from 7.7 million in 1950 to more than 21 million today.
Australia's leaders have not fully explained why such a test is necessary in so multicultural and successful a nation. They are not the only ones who have changed their language from talking about multiculturalism to citizenship and national identity, though: it is a hot topic in North America and across Europe.
