Australian Citizenship Tests

Australia is introducing citizenship tests for new immigrants focusing on core Australian values. This is similar to what Tony Blair has talked about and is already happening in countries like The Netherlands.

People are so wrong to classify these as illiberal. They are in fact necessary to protect liberal values such as tolerance, equal rights etc. As an example The Netherlands has had equal rights and tolerance for gay couples for some decades. So what they do is show intending immigrants and citizens a video which includes same sex couples kissing, and make the point that if this upsets you, maybe the Netherlands is not a good country to move to.

This is all part of the debate about balancing multiculturalism with integration. Both extremes are wrong. Just as a monocultural country is not one I find attractive, a country which is not integrated is even more unappealing. Now the integration may take a generation, and that is fine. But if there is no integration at all, then you have problems.