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Filed under: Australia Day, Citizenship, Democracy, Politics, Society, Voting

31 comments

They take on the privileges of Australian citizenship with little real knowledge of, or attachment to, our key values and institutions.

All Australians need a citzenship ceremony. Picture: Sam Mooy.

I’m not talking about migrants, who at least have to pass a minimum test for citizenship.

I’m talking about young Australians who are ‘born’ into citizenship and who receive the full privileges of a citizen on their eighteenth birthday.

This coming Australia Day, I’d like to suggest that we create a new civic ‘rite of passage’.

It would be simple – every 18 year old would be required to formally take the oath of citizenship as part of registration as a voter.

Australian born citizens have been able to participate in citizenship affirmation ceremonies for some time. I think we need to go further. The main common rite of passage for 18 year old Australians should not be Schoolies Week.

Our most recent assessment of students against a civics proficiency standard revealed that only around 50% of high school students in NSW met the most basic of proficiency levels.

The NSW Minister for Education – who put out the gobsmackingly misleading press release ‘Australian values on top in NSW’ – could take delight only in the fact that the other states were worse, with Queensland, WA and the Northern Territory having only 30-33% of their young citizens meet the basic proficiency level.

There are some who think that our easy going approach to patriotism is one of our national traits, and a positive one at that. My fear is that we are producing generations of young people who are ignorant of our democratic processes.

They are unable to articulate, let alone promote, a democratic identity and set of principles when challenged by competing identities or ideologies.

According the civics assessment, less than half of year 10 students nationally meet proficiency standards that mean they understand our federal system of government and recognize that respecting the right of others to hold different opinions is a democratic principle.

Unlike their forebears, Australians under 50 have not been tested and shaped by real fights to achieve basic workers’ rights, or by savage depression, or by hot and cold wars against fascism and communism.

How would their commitment to our values and institutions stand up under any real test? If reports about some of the views being expressed on racist Facebook sites that purport to champion Australian values are accurate, we have real problems.

The evidence of our civics assessment is that most young Australians are ignorant if not apathetic when it comes to what defines and makes our liberal democratic polity, and underpinning civic culture, work.

We need, first and foremost, to continue to strengthen civics education and testing at high school. I pay tribute to the foresight of Bob Carr in that regard – the only reason NSW scores higher than other states in this area is because of his early leadership in re-orienting the curriculum around history and civics.

But let’s also build some gravitas and pride into becoming a full citizen at 18. To get a license to drive you must front a registry, complete a test and make certain written declarations.

I would make a young person’s 18th birthday an important civic occasion.

They would have two choices: to go to a location at their local Council to register as a voter and take the oath of citizenship, or to join with new Australians in taking the oath at a citizenship ceremony, for example on Citizenship Day in September, or even better, at an Australian Day ceremony, with their family and friends present to celebrate the occasion.

They would get a citizenship certificate. But – no oath, no vote.

And for those of you who are unfamiliar with the affirmation version of our oath, it reads as follows:

As an Australian citizen, I affirm my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I uphold and obey.

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31 comments

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- Bec says:
  
  05:33am | 19/01/10
  
  I would speculate that the odds of someone being able to explain what the Westminster system is decreases proportionally with the number of racist facebook groups that one belongs to. That is to say, cracker of an idea.
  
  Reply
- Joan Fitzgerald says:
  
  07:09am | 19/01/10
  
  I think your heart is in the right place but I don’t think this is the answer. The courts have got to stop pussy footing around with these yobs and start giving out punishment to fit the crime,
  
  Reply
- iansand says:
  
  07:50am | 19/01/10
  
  I think uniforms and a bit of formation marching would add to the spectacle.
  
  Reply
- Randal says:
  
  08:12am | 19/01/10
  
  Whilst I appreciate you sentiment, the answer is education not pointless ceremonies where the youth’s in question would simply parrot a verse that they fail to understand, or worse, simply not take the test and then never actually engage in the democratic system, driving them further from the function of government. At least under the current system (however flawed) they are forced to engage at elections by at least considering a vote, regardless of their capacity to understand the system itself.
  
  Essentially though it is the education that is failing our children and our public school system continues to go backwards and we need to review the entire approach, we need to review the curricular that is taught in schools to ensure that this is providing our children with the education that will provide them with the knowledge to enter adult hood, teachers need to be assessed, the poor one’s removed and the quality one’s provided with incentives to remain, quality candidates need to be encouraged into the profession and this is best achieved by increasing wages to make the profession more attractive to our brightest.
  
  What we give our children in schools is the most important gift that society can offer, the gift of knowledge, and every child in this nation should have access to a quality education regardless of wealth or geographical location, and until our governments invest in the critical areas of education and not just building halls for their own promotion we will continue to fail our children.
  
  Reply
- T.Chong says:
  
  08:47am | 19/01/10
  
  “not been tested and shaped by real fights to achieve basic workers rights…,” strange statement.
  The overwhelming majority of wage earners fought and defeated Howards ,Abbotts, Minchins,Bishops, Hockeys (and all the rest of the LNPs) WorkChoices.
  BTW Chris , if Australian born citizens who are working “fail” your test for voting rights, would they have to pay tax?
  After all tax without representation sounds very dictatorial, leads to revolutions, and the chopping block, metaphorically and literally for rulers who thought it was a good idea.
  
  Reply
- BMJ says:
  
  08:49am | 19/01/10
  
  This is just an outrageous idea. It borders on Stalinist.
  
  Reply
Harry says:

11:01am | 19/01/10

Don’t talk about Stalinist if you don’t know what it means - it’s like calling everything ‘Nazi-ism’ when you want to make (or score) a point.
- Jon says:
  
  08:54am | 19/01/10
  
  Education is the corner stone. We need to teach children what it is to be a Secular Society and be ethical with out the need for a religious reference.
  
  Reply
Lee from WA says:

12:07am | 24/01/10

Give me an ethical system that says why I should be a yob and tell my why I should follow your system and not my own? Why should your ethical system that says I shouldn’t be a yob trump my ethical system that says I can and should be a yob?

Something I find particular annoying about secular humanists is that they like to triumph the virtues of humanity’s wisdom but only when it suits them. I either can make my own ethical system (opening the door for me to say it is my right to be a yob) or I can’t. If I can’t, tell me why your system is better than a religious system?
- COF says:
  
  08:55am | 19/01/10
  
  Do people have the liberty to determine what “civics” are appropriate for them? When we are talking about the rule of law that is fair enough, but when you start defining further codes of conduct you are starting to encroach on liberty somewhat.
  In many ways Chris, I agree with you - kids are not like they used to be these days, they were much better behaved back in my day. But that is most probably because they were more in line with my values back in those days.
  Culture changes naturally, and we can either accept that or try to do what you are doing, which is stagnate it with a whole lot of useless “civics” lessons. Teach the child how to earn a living first, and then worry about them offending your sensibilities.
  Like iansand, I can imagine a massive square with thousands of kids in green and gold uniforms doing perfectly orchestrated boot scooting. That would be a sight.
  
  Reply
- JenJam says:
  
  09:35am | 19/01/10
  
  What a bloody fantastic idea! I did not even know that those of us born into the Lucky Country (and yes, I still consider it to be) could go along and reaffirm our citizenship, I think that’s absolutely fabulous :D Thank you so much for that information, I am definitely going to be looking into that further.
  
  Reply
- David says:
  
  09:36am | 19/01/10
  
  Exactly what rights and liberties is your oath referring to? As an Australian citizen it is very difficult to discover what rights and liberties I am afforded. Especially since the Australian constitution is more focused on limiting and regulating the Commonwealth’s conduct with the states and not its citizens. Sure, the government can’t take my land without compensation and good reason, some vague affordation of not sponsoring a national religion (not that this stops anyone from funding nation-wide school Christian Chaplain programs) and some freedom of political speech - everything else is pretty much determined by individual states. We have no Bill of Rights or Human Rights Act at the Commonwealth level.
  
  I think you may find the ability for our school children to learn, cite and understand simple English law that outlines the rights and liberties Australian citizens are afforded and responsible to uphold would go much further to changing the current climate of bogan nationalism in a more permanent manner than a contrived ceremony that staggers disturbingly close to nationalism not patriotism.
  
  Reply
- Rob M says:
  
  09:47am | 19/01/10
  
  I think people today have had enough of overbearig government. If you look at the number of laws being propagated onto people, they are increasing with time. They are frequently done by unelected officials, who remain faceless, and unchallengable.
  
  Look at just a few areas:
  
  1 Housing - the most expensive expense we will probably have in our lives. Demographia reports that government intervention (ie too many plannign laws) are responsible for the poor supply levels, and hence high prices.
  2 Cars - Cars are comparatively much more highly priced in Australia. Why is it that a Commodore can be manufactured HERE, yet it can be exported to the US, with all the transport costs, and be sold there for less than here? Taxes, taxes, taxes. Cars are very important to Australian culture, when the public transport system is so poorly delievered.
  
  3 Public transport - where do you want to start?
  
  4 Civil liberties - there are many examples, but how about one. Faceless bureaucrats decided that due to a handful of idiots in Sydney harbour on jetskis, jetskis would be banned completely. If you applied the same logic(?), then there would be no cars on the roads, would there? Yet these government leeches put in place policies that cant be challeneged. Who are these people anyway?
  
  5 Bob Carr - you must be kidding me. This is the same idiot, along with his sycophant sidekick Michael Egan, who introduced the disasterous vendor exit tax, that almost singlehandedly destroyed the NSW economy. Many managers of construction companies pulled up sticks and decided to invest interstate, and along went all the money with them. Once gone, it is near impossible to get them back. This, coupled with effectively NO planning for NSW (she’ll be right mate, NSW has always been the premier state, she runs herself maaaaate), and you have leaders with zero credibility.
  
  Give me a break, please.
  
  Is it any great surprise that people are disaffected? And the solution you propose is: more rules.
  
  Reply
- Patriot says:
  
  09:58am | 19/01/10
  
  Ccitizenship is too important to be given away gratis just because of where you happen to be born. It must be a meaningfull oath & covenant, with the ability to be withdrawn and the person permanently removed from the country for breaches of the laws of the land. You want the good things we have-then you contribute to them and help maintain them, or get out! Taxation without representation-I’m saying become a citizen, a law abiding one, and you can have representation. Refuse to obey the law, and I don’t want you around me.
  
  Reply
Randal says:

10:35am | 19/01/10

Where do you propose we send these people that are born in Australia but do meet your ideal as a citizen Patriot??
- ImaWestie says:
  
  10:03am | 19/01/10
  
  So we live in a democracy. Through no fault of thier own, my children are born here, to parents who are native-born Australian citizens.
  
  What if they don’t want to swear an oath of allegiance to this country (under the government of the day mind you!) on the Australia Day after their - wait for it - 18th birthday?
  
  What are you going to do, deport them to Christmas Island?
  
  Reply
- Liz says:
  
  11:14am | 19/01/10
  
  Good point ImaWestie.Many young people don’t vote and don’t care, many more do.Maybe we shouldn’t allow anyone to stay after two years if they haven’t become citizens,that way there may be some hope of their kids havig nsome allegiance to the country.Once we’re a republic it may improve.Havinga monarchy is confusing when they have nothing to do with us and ‘grace’ us with a few days in decades.
  
  Reply
- Bob says:
  
  11:22am | 19/01/10
  
  Congratulations, Chris. Previously I have had you pegged as a conservative religious kook. You have now been upgraded to dangerous, conservative religious kook.
  
  Reply
- Jack says:
  
  12:31pm | 19/01/10
  
  I would be happy to make an oath to Australia, calls for more education are warranted. I don’t think many Australians at all know or appreciate that we are one of the oldest continuing democracies in the world or that we have the world’s oldes continuing culture in the Aboriginals. An oath to Australia, I believe would instill pride in young Australian’s and with that education would attach their pride to something. The way it is executed is probably the most difficult part, I could see something emerge when we become a republic.
  
  Reply
- Davido says:
  
  12:51pm | 19/01/10
  
  Citizenship is not found in the Australian constitution.
  
  Indeed, as the High Court has ruled you are not a citizen in Australia by definition of being born in the country. So just who is a citizen? And do you become a citizen by saying some formulaic words? I dont think so.
  
  I see where this article is coming from, but there are at least two problems:
  1. ceremonies can be meaningless; and
  2. any attempt to enforce citizenship values is problematic. What values do you use? Would you object to a charter of human rights containing those same rights? And is such a program, as envisaged, in danger of encouraging rabid patriotism - look at the mad militia groups in the USA.
  
  I do however see some value in your article. There was an article in the US recently about how US style assimilation had bred fewer home grown terrorists than the UK multicultural system. So there are pragmatic reasons for the promotion of a single shared set of values.
  
  In Australia we have various cultures sharing not much more than geography. Is this a problem? Arguably yes. Just look at how many Indians in Australia refuse to marry a non-Indian or let their children marry non-Indians.
  
  One way to remove the cultural divisions in Australia is to move to a secular-school system that forces children to mix with cultures other than their own. In that way exteme values are moderated by exposure to other cultures. Now I know the Catholics reading this will object hugely, but you guys must recognise that extreme values are being propagated in some communities in Australia.
  
  Another is compulsory military or preferably civil service. I believe people coming to Australia should be made to serve Australia before reaping the benefits of living in OZ. This would sort out those who are economic migrants from genuine migrants. It would also foster and fuse cultures in a way that does not happen now.
  
  Reply
sam says:

06:12pm | 20/01/10

Thanks very much for the compulsory military service comment. I absolutely love it when people pop that one out of their talky whole. I can see it now. An Army of people who don’t want to be there. I am sure they will make a supreme fighting force. (and before you start talking about National Servicemen and conscripts from all wars in the last 100 years. Don’t. They did a fantastic job; and there was a different societal flavour back then)

So how about this Davido, we take all these people and we send them to your place of work and you can deal with the fact that they don’t want to be there.

I am so sick of everyone throwing around compulsory military service as the great solution to todays youth as if it were a punishment. There are many great australians (of all nationalities) serving our country. I am sure the last thing they need hindering their ability to be a competent defence force is a bunch of people who don’t want to be there and can’t give a stuff.
- Alex says:
  
  12:53pm | 19/01/10
  
  Great idea. Within 20 years, there would be no Labor voters left. Bring it on.
  
  Reply
James says:

01:23pm | 19/01/10

How so? I vote ALP, and I love this country. Our vibrant democracy is what makes us so great, and the fact that you clearly support a one-party state makes you sound pretty unAustralian to me. Like the bigots like to say, if you don’t like it, leave.
- Lord Grognard says:
  
  12:56pm | 19/01/10
  
  Why on earth should young people care about the state? Its sole purpose is to shift blame over interest rates and hand out pork to people who don’t need it. Will teenagers be pledging an oath to the baby bonus, or grocery watch?
  
  Reply
- Edward says:
  
  01:14pm | 19/01/10
  
  And what do you do if they fail the citizenship test? Revoke their citizenship? Deport them? At best it could only ever be an optional, non-binding, non-punitive measure. So what’s the point? People who care will learn, those who don’t, won’t.
  
  Reply
- Rafe says:
  
  01:33pm | 19/01/10
  
  Good in theory, in practice we’d just end up like Americans, which would make the situation even worse.
  
  Reply
- Nick says:
  
  02:28pm | 19/01/10
  
  I’ll happily take an oath of affirmation when the Government starts respecting the Democratic process. Tell me, who wants this internet filter?
  
  Reply
- Chase Stevens says:
  
  02:37pm | 19/01/10
  
  Yeah I’d rather not have patriotism ingrained into our national psyche. It’s bad enough that we have Little Pauline Hanson Southern Cross Wearing Bogans running around, we don’t need everyone pledging their undying loyalty to Australia, the country.
  
  An oath to support, tolerate and accept all Australians, the people, (Regardless of whether they were born or have come from over seas) would be a better idea.
  
  “no oath, no vote.” - This of course is a horrible idea, and flies in the face of what a democracy is.
  
  I personally would never pledge my undying Loyalty to the State, should it do something I disagree with I’d like to be able to show (Peaceful, non-violent) dissent without being accused of being disloyal.
  
  Reply
- stephen says:
  
  03:19pm | 19/01/10
  
  ...and thereby discourage forever dual-citizenship. (Some of these free-range nincompoops at the tennis probably suffer from the latter.)
  
  Reply
- Rob says:
  
  03:45pm | 19/01/10
  
  Davido: economic migrants and genuine migrants are one and the same. They come to Australia to build a better life and you can’t do that without money.
  
  The article is referring to the children of migrants, born in this country and the only way you can instill in them what it means to be Australian is through the education system.
  
  Unless you are a migrant you have no idea what it means to move to another country and another culture. Parents don’t want their children to forget the old culture and it is ingrained in them in the home through language and stories of the ‘old country’, whereever that may be.
  
  Just look around you. You will find oasis of Irish, Scottish, Italian, German, Chinese and many more cultures in social clubs, sports clubs and schools throughout the country. That’s the price you pay for multiculturalism.
  
  If you expect the second generation of migrant children to embrace the Australian culture, then you do it in the schools through language and history while they are young enough to integrate the old with the new. It’s probably one of the best reasons to pump money into the public school system, and remind teachers that they don’t just have a job, they have a vocation.
  
  Reply
- asif says:
  
  04:19pm | 19/01/10
  
  stupid flag waver.
  
  Reply