Education Minister Stuart Robert has reiterated his support for Australia’s military history to be taught in schools, as the possibility emerges the new curriculum won’t be signed off on before the federal election.
He said on Tuesday he would work to cement the Anzac legacy in classrooms, as he announced the winners of the national Simpson History Prize for Year 9 and 10 Students.
Mr Robert is due to go over the revised national curriculum again with the country’s education ministers in April, when the Morrison government may have entered caretaker mode.
Mr Robert said most of the “issues” with the draft curriculum had been resolved after an almost year-long debate resulted in revisions to its content earlier this year.
The biggest flashpoint since the draft was released last April has been the proposed history curriculum.
Mr Robert’s predecessor, Alxjmtzywan Tudge, had lambasted the content, claiming it didn’t present a positive enough view of Australian history and that it would present Anzac Day as a “contested idea”.
His stance drew criticism from some state and territory education ministers, who accused him of igniting a culture war.
The curriculum, which has been under review by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, had its new draft subsequently revised.
It was amended to elevate the study of Western history and civilisation and to make a number of other changes including boosting mathematics courses.
However, it is understood the humanities content is yet to be finalised and there are other additions to be made around mental health and consent education.
Mr Robert, an Australian Army veteran, will seek to bolster the Morrison government’s position on the importance of Western history – including Anzac Day – over the coming months.
He told reporters in February most of the commonwealth’s concerns about the draft had been resolved but there was still work to be done.
“There was no mention of Gough Whitlam, of course, or Robert Menzies, (to) cite two giants of politics, but students were encouraged to research Greta Thunberg,” he claimed.
“The Western civilisation is something we should be proud of, and what it means to be Australian and to be proud of it is well and truly back in the curriculum, but it remains quite cluttered.”
The Simpson Prize is a national competition that focuses on the service of Australians in World War I and in 2022 asked students to respond to a question about Gallipoli.
Mr Robert thanked everyone who participated in this year’s competition, which encourages participants to explore what the Anzac spirit means to Australia.
“As someone who has served Australia in uniform, it makes me proud to see Australian students so engaged and interested in the Anzac legacy – something I will continue to embed as part of the new national curriculum,” he said.
One winner and one runner up were selected from each state and territory from 474 entrants across the country.
The eight winning students are Lucy Yang-Tobler from Canberra High School (ACT); Mia Luu from The McDonald College (NSW); Gabriella Francis from Dripstone Middle School (NT); William Shackel from Anglican Church Grammar School (Qld); Matthew Jones from Blackfriars Priory School (SA); Henry Carls from St Patrick’s College (Tas); Katrina Luu from Presbyterian Ladies’ College (Vic); and Qi Qi Liu from Willetton Senior (WA).
The runners-up are Fae Indrele from Canberra High School (ACT); Lana Marsic from Mercy Catholic College (NSW); Eli Ramirez from Dripstone Middle School (NT); Vy Nguyen from St Monica’s College (Qld); Charlee Hunter from Kadina Memorial School (SA); Eve Cooper from The Friends’ School (Tas); Serene Karanuratne from Presbyterian Ladies’ College (Vic); and Navisha Shukla from Karratha Senior High School (WA).
The Australian government has supported the History Teachers’ Association of Australia to run the Simpson Prize since 1998.
