Fairfield Champion, Wednesday, 9 January 2008
By Kate Sullivan

Fairfield councillor Thang Ngo has repeated his call for the Australian Citizenship Test to be scrapped.

The new Labor Federal Government is reviewing the controversial test after it was revealed 20 per cent of test participants had failed to achieve the pass mark since its introduction last October.

Cr Ngo said the idea of testing "citizenship" was flawed and the test should be
scrapped.

"You can't tinker with something that is simply wrong on so many levels," he said.

"As I said last September, it's insulting to ask a refugee or asylum seeker who came to Australia by boat risking your life shows more commitment to Australia than passing any test."

Cr Ngo said the 20 per cent failure rate supported his early concerns about the test.

"I said it then and I'll say it again, it's disgusting that we're excluding one in five migrants who want to make a commitment to Australia.

"I had concerns back in September and I still hold those concerns."

Those wishing to take the test are first required to study a book prepared by the Department of Immigration titled Becoming an Australian Citizen.

The department said: "Everything you need to know to pass the test is contained in this book."

The book is available in 21 languages.

Tutorials and practise tests are also available through the department's website.

The Fairfield LGA has residents from more than 130 countries that speak more than 70 different languages.

The majority of residents speak a language other than English at home, the most common being Vietnamese, Cantonese, Assyrian and Spanish. Cabramatta has the highest number of residents born in non-English countries at 65.6 per cent.