Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard said people who wanted to immigrate to Australia may have to sit a test on the nation's language, culture and values before they qualify as citizens.

``You will certainly need to know a good deal more about Australia, Australian customs and the Australian way of life,'' Howard told Melbourne Radio 3AW. ``The issues that will be raised will be the history of the country, the values of the country.''

The Liberal-National coalition government will release a discussion paper on the contents of the test and what it should include, Howard said. Some 93,000 became Australian citizens in the year ended June 30, 2005, government figures.

``Cultural diversity should never come at the expense of a clear, strong, compelling national identity,'' Howard said..

To contact the reporter on this story: Gemma Daley in Canberra at gdaley@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 14, 2006 19:59 EDT