Australian citizenship test

On 1 October 2007, it was announced that applicants for Australian citizenship will need to pass an Australian citizenship test. The objective of the test is to prove an applicant's grasp of English language and understanding of Australia’s "values", history, traditional and national symbols. Citizenship applicants are required to study a booklet produced by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

The computer based test consists of 20 multiple choice questions drawn randomly from a pool of 200 confidential questions. The test is only available in English. Applicants will have 45 minutes to complete the test. The material is drawn from the official guide " [http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/resource-booklet/citz-booklet-full-ver.pdf Becoming an Australian Citizen] " published by the Australian Government department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Applicants must obtain a mark of at least 60 per cent to pass but must also answer three mandatory questions correctly. Applicants will need to pass the test before they can submit their citizenship application.

On 2 January 2008, it was announced that the test would be reviewed when statistics showed that over 20% of those sitting the test failed on their first attempts.

Questions/Answers

Although the following are not necessarily correct answers, they are correct in the context of the test.

* Which one of these is a responsibility for every Australian citizen? (Join with Australians to defend Australia and its way of life, should the need arise)
* Which one of these values is important in modern Australia? (Everyone has equality of opportunity)
* What is Australia's national floral emblem? (The golden wattle)
* Which one of these Australians is famous for playing cricket? (Sir Donald Bradman)
* What is a Bill? (A proposed law that has not yet passed through parliament)
* In what year did Federation take place? (1901)
* Which day of the year is Australia Day? (January 26)
* Who was the first Prime Minister of Australia? (Edmund Barton)
* What is the first line of Australia's national anthem? ("Australians all let us rejoice")
* What is the population of Australia? (approx 21 million)
* In what city is the Parliament House of the Commonwealth Parliament located? (Canberra)
* Who is the Queen's representative in Australia? (the governor-general)
* How are Members of Parliament chosen? (by election)
* Who do Members of Parliament represent? (the people of their electorate)
* After a federal election, who forms the new government? (the political party or coalition of parties which wins a majority of seats in the House of Representatives)
* What are the colours on the Australian flag? (red, white and blue)
* Who is the head of the Australian Government? (the prime minister)
* What are the three levels of government in Australia? (Commonwealth, State or Territory and local)
* In what year did the European settlement of Australia start? (1788)
* Serving on a jury if required is a responsibility of Australian citizenship: true or false? (true)
* In Australia, everyone is free to practise the religion of their choice, or practise no religion: true or false? (true)
* To be elected to the Commonwealth Parliament you must be an Australian citizen: true or false? (true)
* As an Australian citizen, I have the right to register my baby born overseas as an Australian citizen: true or false? (true)
* Australian citizens aged 18 years or over are required to enrol on the electoral register: true or false? (true)
* What is the name of the Australian remote inland areas? (outback)

External links

* [http://www.citizenship.gov.au/ Department of Immigration and Citizenship] - Official website for Citizenship related matters
* [http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/index.htm Citizenship Test] - Official website for Citizenship Test
* [http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/resource-booklet/citz-booklet-full-ver.pdf Becoming an Australian Citizen] - Official resource booklet upon which the test is based
* [http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/practice/practice_test.htm Australian Citizenship Practice Test] - Official Australian Citizenship Practice Test
* [http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/tutorial/tutorial.htm Australian Citizenship Test Tutorials] - Official Australian Citizenship Test Tutorials
* [http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~jhua/article/citizenship.pdf Australian Citizenship Test Cramming Guide] - A useful compact summary for people cramming for the test