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Mind Your Language, Mr Howard

Harry Nicolaides

First published in Neos Kosmos.

“Becoming an Australian should indeed be tested but the test should be on the individual’s humanity, their generosity, their contribution to society through their values and ethics, these are the yardsticks of being a true blue.”

The sample Citizenship test questions released by the government are retrospective and selective, written largely by John Howard et al to perpetuate and sustain a golden era of white, Anglo-Saxon pre-eminence in Australia.

With one in four Australians born overseas and an even higher ratio born here from non-English speaking backgrounds, it is supercilious for the government to ask new aspiring migrants to answer questions about the narrow band of life experienced by white, Anglo-Saxon immigrants when so many more, in the past came from Europe, Asia and Africa.

Captain Cook’s Endeavour arrived with an Italian immigrant, at Gallipoli a former kangaroo shooter named Billy Sing won fame as a sniper, Italian Rafaelo Carboni penned the main eyewitness account of the Eureka Stockade rebellion, early Chinese settler John Sying, who arrived in 1818, became the publican of the famous Lion Hotel in Paramatta in 1829, Jack Wong Sue won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his military valour serving as a member of the special commando unit, Z-force during WW2.

These are just a few of the non-Anglo immigrants among the many who have become part of the history of this country. Today, there are 1 million Italians Australians, 350 thousand Greek Australians, 700 thousand Chinese Australians and tens of thousands of others who are from almost 200 different ethnic groups.

While it is true that a significant part of Australia’s social and political history is based on values stemming from the Judeo Christian ethic, British political institutions and European culture, this is changing fast. Australians are also consumers and manufacturers of global products & services and connect internationally through ideologies, interest groups, associations, clubs, networks, and trends.

The marketing programs of some multinational corporations have more influence over Australians than the policies of state or federal governments. Political slogans have been replaced by corporate mantras while new platforms for self expression proliferate on the internet.

Extrapolating on trends evident in the current Census, Australia will in future be a far more ethnically diverse, ideologically pluralist, multi-faith society – the scope of which the current test questions would not cover.

The proposed questions are, according to some, dangerous and divisive. Dario Nelli, editor of Il Globo, Australia’s national Italian newspaper said, “It creates more than some doubt about the government’s discriminatory intent and it seems to bring us back to the old and failed concept of assimilation of the 50s and 60s.”

In an interview with Neos Kosmos, Fahrettin Ari, editor of Dunya Turkish newspaper, one of Australia’s most influential ethnic presses added, “I believe the new English test will break community integrity and peaceful life in Australia.”

Camil Shalala, editor of Middle East Times International, observed that the proposed test questions do not acknowledge the significant contribution non-English, non-Christian groups have made to Australia. He said, “the proposed test questions do not seem to include the ethnic way of life.”

Some say the questions don’t even capture the “shared Australian values” that John Howard claims exist. In a written submission to Neos Kosmos, the editor of The Maltese Herald, national newspaper to Australia’s Maltese community said, “I ask what I asked before. If the same questions were asked a fair dinkum Ausssie how many right answers will he/she give? Would they be disqualified from being an Aussie? The questions are biased and against fairness. Stop wasting public money.”

Pawan Luthra, publisher of Indian Link, believes the test is not even about the right issues. “Becoming an Australian should indeed be tested but the test should be on the individual’s humanity, their generosity, their contribution to society through their values and ethics, these are the yardsticks of being a true blue.”

While the affirmation of the values of Australia as a secular liberal democracy characterised by the rule of law, gender equality, freedom of speech, tolerance, and compassion is sound the proposed test questions are designed to recycle the past and preserve in perpetuity the values and experiences of a ruling elite.

The values and experiences of ethnic Australians must be duly acknowledged otherwise, like Valerio Ricetti, the Italian immigrant who from 1929 spent two decades living and working in isolation on an elaborate 16-hectare hermit cave complex he carved out of rock in Griffiths NSW, they will build their utopias outside mainstream Australian society.

50 (ethnic) Australian Citizenship Test questions

1. How many Greeks were convicted of piracy and sent to Australia in1829 on the Norfolk arriving in Sydney? (Seven)
   

2. How many Greek Australians live in Australia? (approx. 700,000)
   

3. Name three countries excluding China that Chinese Australians have come from. (Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia)
   

4. How many Italian Australians were aboard Captain Cook’s ship the Endeavour? (one)
   

5. What is the name of the first Greek Orthodox church consecrated in 1898, Sydney? (Church of the Holy Trinity, Surry Hills)
   

6. In what medical speciality was Chinese Australian Victor Chang a pioneer? (Heart transplantation surgery)
   

7. How many Italian Australians live in Australia? (Approximately 1,000,000)
   

8. While the White Australia Policy of the early twentieth century severely restricted the growth of Chinese Australian communities, the multicultural initiatives of which government in the early 1970s saw new arrivals start to arrive in larger numbers? (Whitlam Labor government)
   

9. Which Italian Australian writer co-authored Specky Magee with Gary Lyon? (Felice Arena)
   

10. What was the family name of the Chinese Australian realtor L.J. Hooker before he changed his name by deed poll in 1925? (Tingyou)
    

11. What is the name of political cartoonist of Italian descent who worked for Sunday Telegraph & Daily Telegraph winning a Walkley Award at age 23? (Paul Zanetti)
    

12. Name three films that explore Greek-Australian life. (Head on, The Heartbreak Kid, The Wogboy)
    

13. In what year did the first Greek Orthodox priest arrive in Australia to minister a congregation? (1868, Sydney)
    

14. Which Chinese Australian former kangaroo shooter won fame at Gallipoli as a sniper?(Billy Sing)
    

15. How many Chinese Australians live in Australia? (Approximately 700,000)
    

16. What sort of jobs did the first Chinese Australian immigrants have in the late 1840s? (Shepherds, irrigation experts)
    

17. What was the purpose of the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 introduced by attorneygeneral, Alfred Deakin? (To ensure a White Australia Policy was maintained and control of immigrants into Australia)
    

18. What is the name of the Chinese Australian soldier who was a member of the special commando unit, Z-Force, during WW2 receiving the Distinguished Conduct Medal? (Jack Wong Sue)
    

19. What is the name of the Chinese Australian woman who had a relationship with former deputy Prime Minister, Dr Jim Cairns, in the Whitlam government? (Junie Morosi)
    

20. Which Italian Australian was known as the Prince of Lygon Street? (Alphonse Gangitano)
    

21. Who was the first and youngest Chinese Australian man to be elected to the parliament of Australia? (Fmr. Senator Bill O’Chee)
    

22. What month is the Antipodean festival held in Melbourne? (March)
    

23. What is arguably the largest Greek city outside of Greece in the world? (Melbourne)
    

24. What did Italian Australian Rafaelo Carboni do at the Eureka Stockade? (author of the main eyewitness account)
    

25. Name three Italian Australian Aussie rules footy players. (Mark Mercuri, Peter Matera, Ron Barrasi)
    

26. Which Chinese Australian was named Australian of the year in 1996 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2001 in recognition for his work in paediatrics? (John Yu)
    

27. Which Chinese Australian merchant and philanthropist developed tea rooms in Sydney in the nineteenth century? (Mei Quong Tart)
    

28. Which Italian Australian won the 1999 World Surfing Champion Title? (Mark Occhilupo)
    

29. Which Chinese Australian musician/actor is a member of the children’s band The Wiggles? (Jeff Fat)
    

30. Name the three major religions of Chinese Australians. (Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism)
    

31. What crime did Greek Joseph Simmonds commit to be given a life sentence in 1832 and be sent to Australia? (Stealing a handkerchief)
    

32. How did Italian Australian hermit Valerio Ricetti come to live in a cave in Griffith NSW that is now listed on the state’s heritage register? (Forgot his wallet with life savings in a brothel)
    

33. Name two Chinese Australian newspapers published in Australia. (Australian Chinese Daily, Chinese Weekly)
    

34. What is the name of the first popularly elected Chinese Australian Mayor of Melbourne? (John So)
    

35. After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 which Australian Prime Minister allowed Chinese students to permanently settle in Australia? (Bob Hawke)
    

36. Name two periods in the twentieth century of mass migration from Europe to Australia? (1950’s and 1960’s)
    

37. Historically, Chinese Australians have been predominantly of Cantonese or Chinese descent? (Cantonese)
    

38. What is the name of the Chinese Australian ballet dancer whose book, Mao’s Last Dancer won Australian Book of the Year Awards in 2003? (Li Cunxin)
    

39. What is the name of the Italian Australian anthropologist who wrote a number of books on Australia’s Koori population and was curator at the national museum of Victoria? (Aldo Massola)
    

40. What is Italian Australian David Campese famous for? (Australian Rugby Union player)
    

41. Which Chinese Australian early settler was the publican of The Lion in Parramatta in 1829? (John Sying)
    

42. In what year were the anti-Greek riots in the Kalgoorlie goldfields? (1916)
    

43. What was the purpose of the dictation test introduced with the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901? ( The dictation test gave immigration officers the discretion to prevent individuals from entering Australia by having them write out a passage of fifty words dictated to them in a European language the immigration officers chose – and not necessarily English)
    

44. Who was the Italian Australian Governor of Victoria 1997-2000? (Sir James Gobbo)
    

45. What is the name of the first Asian-born female member of the Australian senate. (Penny Wong)
    

46. Name two models of cars popular with Greek Australians in the 1970s & 1980s? (Valiant Charger, Holden Monaro)
    

47. Why is former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam so beloved by Greek Australians? (Multiculturalism)
    

48. Name the region in NSW where a large percentage of the population is Italian Australian.(Griffith)
    

49. What type of work in southern Queensland did many thousands of Italian migrants do following WW2? (cutting sugar cane)
    

50. Who is Lidia Argondizzo who was born in Italy but immigrated to Australia as a child? (Victorian politician)