“I think it is time for us to assert our values and people to hear very clearly,” he told reporters.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton said the new questions would help uphold Australian values during the citizenship process. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

Opposition’s treasury spokesperson Angus Taylor explained people hoping to become Australian citizens cannot display views that may exacerbate a “completely unacceptable” rise in antisemitic attacks.

“And those coming to this country, we need to be confident that they’re not going to … perpetuate that unacceptable behaviour that we have seen in recent times.”

“We’ll see if it lasts until, you know, a couple of hours away, yesterday’s didn’t make it to lunchtime,” he said.

The Coalition appeared divided on the issue, with Senator Michaelia Cash saying while “all options were on the table”, there was “no plan” to hold the required referendum to grant the powers.

Germany gauges antisemitic attitudes in citizenship test

This includes asking applicants to identify examples of antisemitic behaviour from a list of multiple-choice answers.

Credit: SBS News

German politician Nancy Faeser said the country would have “no tolerance” for antisemitism, racism or other forms of contempt as it legislated the changes.

Support for citizenship test to ‘cover racism in all its forms’

“Within this context, the Citizenship Test should cover racism in all its forms but not single out one as it can have unintended consequences, for example, implying that one form of vilification is more important than another.”

In its response, the government committed to being guided by the framework principles to “ensure Australia’s multicultural settings are fit-for-purpose to harness the talents of all Australians”.

While there were no changes to English language or residency requirements, the government also focused on increasing English language proficiency through free lessons.