David Blunkett's decision to make Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians prove they can speak English when applying for naturalisation has been greeted with disbelief down under.

"The poms no longer take for granted that we antipodean colonials speak anything they recognise as English," concluded the Age newspaper in Melbourne.

In New Zealand, the Press reported the story under the headline "Strewth! Was it something we said?"

It commented: "You could understand them not understanding our Trans-Tasman neighbours. But us?"