CANBERRA—The new citizenship test will focus on what it means to be Australian - and that's not being a sports buff or art aficionado, the head of the Australia Day council says.
The government will change the Howard government's citizenship test, after a review of the exam headed by retired diplomat Dick Woolcott.
National Australia Day Council chief executive Warren Pearson, who was part of the review committee, said the new test would centre on a Pledge of Commitment to the country's democratic beliefs.
"The citizenship pledge goes to the values that unite Australians," he told reporters in Perth on Saturday.
"This test is a finer test. Before, the test was a scattergun - (billiard champion) Walter Lindrum, (cricketing legend) Don Bradman, the Heidelberg school (Australian art movement) and freedom of democracy and the rule of law."
The new test focused on social inclusion and the responsibilities that go with the freedoms of being Australian, Mr Pearson said.
"So many refugees come to Australia looking for their freedom, looking for the opportunity to vote, looking for the opportunity to choose the school that their kids go to," he said.
"That is what being an Australian is. It's not about being a sports buff or being a high art fan."