Suite 4A6, 410 Elizabeth Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia
The Refugee Council of Australia represents
Phone: (02) 9211-9333 Fax: (02) 9211-9288
non-government organisations and
info@refugeecouncil.org.au Web: www.refugeecouncil.org.au
individuals working with and for refugees
Incorporated in ACT ABN 87 956 673 083
in Australia and around the world
The Refugee Council of Australia welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this review of the
Australian Citizenship Test.
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The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) was established in 1981. RCOA and is a national, not-
for-profit organisation with 123 organisational and 170 individual members. RCOA’s aim is to
promote the adoption of flexible, humane and constructive policies towards refugees, asylum
seekers and displaced persons by the Australian and other governments and their communities.
As the umbrella advocacy body in Australia for refugee and humanitarian protection issues, RCOA
conducts regular consultations with a broad range of settlement agencies, refugee communities,
scholars, legal representatives and onshore asylum advocates. The views expressed in this
submission draw from feedback received in these consultations.
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RCOA has engaged positively in the debate about the re-introduction of a citizenship test in
Australia as initiated by the previous federal government.
In particular, we would like to draw the committee’s attention to:
• our response to the draft discussion paper, Australian Citizenship: Much More than a
Ceremony proposing the introduction of a citizenship test;
• our submission to the Senate Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into the
Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Testing) Bill 2007;
•
the evidence presented during our appearance befo