Fact Sheet 7 - Life in Australia: Australian Values
Background information
On 11 December 2006 the Prime Minister and the Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs announced plans to implement a new visa requirement. All applicants aged 18 years and over are required to sign an Australian Values Statement when applying for selected visas. The statement requires applicants to confirm that they will respect Australian values and obey the laws of Australia before being granted a visa.
Australian values include:
- respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual
- equality of men and women
- freedom of religion
- commitment to the rule of law
- Parliamentary democracy
- a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good
- equality of opportunity for individuals, regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background.
Although these values may be expressed differently by different people, their meaning stays the same. The values may not be unique to Australia, but they have broad community agreement and underpin Australian society and culture.
A new visa criterion
For most visa applicants the values statement is included in the application form.
All provisional, permanent and a small number of temporary visa applicants are required to have read, or had explained to them, information provided by the Australian government before signing the values statement. This information is contained in Life in Australia.
For most temporary visa applicants the values statement is included in the general declarations section on their application form.
People currently outside Australia who are applying for a Humanitarian visa are required to sign the values statement at interview. These applicants will not be expected to have read Life in Australia, as the contents will be explained to them at interview. This different process recognises the difficult circumstances often faced by Humanitarian visa applicants outside Australia.
There is a small group of visas that do not require the Australian Values Statement. This group includes and is not limited to:
- Visitor visas
- New Zealand citizens entering Australia on a special category visa
- Resident Return visas.
Life in Australia
Life in Australia contains information about Australian history, culture and social structures. It is designed to help visa applicants understand Australian values before they sign the values statement on their visa application.
This book will be available in a wide range of languages and an audio-visual CDROM is also available. If a person is not able to read Life in Australia, they may ask a friend, relative, sponsor or agent to explain the book to them. Alternatively, they may have the content explained to them by a departmental officer.
Further information
More information about Australian values and life in Australia is available on the departments website or from any departmental office.
See:
Contact Us
Australian Values
Life in Australia book
Further information is available on the department's web site.
See: www.immi.gov.au
The department also operates a national telephone service inquiry line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm (recorded information available outside these hours) for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.
Fact Sheet 7, produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Revised 12 October 2007.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2007.