As a result of a new government coming to power, the Australian citizenship test will be reviewed. Newly appointed Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, Mr Chris Evans, said 'the review is part of the usual process an incoming government undertakes upon taking office.'

The review will focus on the content of the test and the support services provided to those attempting the test.

Minister Chris Evans stated that: 'If there are ways to improve service delivery or client interaction, we will consider them'. In addition Minister Chris Evans is currently awaiting the next batch of draft questions to be added to the bank of questions.

Current figures from the citizenship test shows a total of 10,725 completed test from October 1st to December 31st. This figure doesn’t represent the total number of people who have taken the tests as some residents have taken the test twice due to failure the first time round.

As of December 31st a total of 8,402 people have taken the test with the success rate a 90% pass on the first or subsequent attempt.

Minister Chris Evans sees these figures as reasons to perhaps make changes to the support services so to ensure that people preparing for the test are better equipped and in turn have an improved chance of passing. Stating that: 'If people are not succeeding, we need to find out why and how we can help to support them better. It's all about making the process work better for all concerned.'

What does this mean for those of you who will be looking at taking the citizenship test in the near future? Good news, as the new government will be looking at ways to improve support services and information in place to help prepare people to pass the test and become a proud Australian citizen.

For more information please visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website http://www.immi.gov.au

Peter Collins