Me Speak Good English, Honest

I read this article in my local rag newspaper this morning, and I wanted to hit my head on the kitchen counter in frustration:

Australian denied nurses registration until he passes English test

The first three paragraphs sum it up nicely:

ENGLISH is the only language Gerard Kellett has ever spoken, but he has been denied registration as a nurse until he passes a competency test in his native tongue.

The 41-year-old Australian citizen recently completed a Bachelor of Nursing Studies at the Queensland University of Technology with honours and had been offered a job as a graduate nurse at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, starting this month.

But the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, which registers nurses, has told him he must first pass an English language test because he completed high school in Northern Ireland, not Australia.

Look, I'm all for making sure people working in health care can understand English and be understood in English, which is what Australians speak. But I'm pretty sure they speak English in Ireland. In fact I'm fairly certain it's the primary language. In addition, the guy has not just one, but 3 university degrees, all earned here in Australia. Don't you think that should count for something in assessing his English skills? I'm not against a test per se - which by the way costs $535 and takes up to 2 months to correct - but to apply it in this way is insane. Surely an assessment of English skills during the university degree could be done so that those who really need the test - and not just those educated outside of Australia, but EVERYONE - can take it and those who have a working knowledge of English can not waste their time and money and get right to work? And I do mean everyone - I've read some shocking nursing notes in my day that look like a 12 year old wrote them. Not the penmanship, but the grammar. Penmanship is another issue.

What was actually worse were some of the comments left. In summary - people from other countries are hard to understand with their accents and so they should sit the test. Where's that brick wall again for me to bash my head against??? People can be so effing dense. So taking the test will somehow take away their accents? Well hell, why didn't someone tell me I can erase my accent by shelling out $535 and waiting two months? Oh and hey, can you pass me that dictionary so I can show you the definition of xenophobia?

I get that with my accent I can be hard to understand sometimes. It's why I consistently spell certain words for people - because experience has taught me many Australians won't understand me the first time. But to assume that because I have an accent that is different to yours it means I'm not smart enough to be your nurse? Kinda ignorant. Which is what I think of the AHPRA in this case - kinda ignorant.