Saturday, April 29, 2006

Value-added citizenship on the agenda / the age, 30 Apr 2006

http://digbig.com/4hjcq
Michelle Grattan
"People wanting to become Australian citizens might soon find themselves examined on how well they understand the nation's ID. While it has arisen against the background of the war on terrorism, Robb says the primary driving force for his citizenship test is the ageing of the population, both here and abroad. As OECD countries face their own worker shortages, they will try to hang on to their people. Australia will be increasingly recruiting from places with cultures very different from our own, such as Africa and parts of Asia. This means "we have to be better at integration," he says."