Education

In a provocative keynote address at the Australian Theatre Forum Ilbijerri Theatre Company's Artistic Director, Rachael Maza, spoke powerfully and passionately about the differences between cultural appropriation and cultural exchange ... It's frightening to see that these condescending productions are accepted and even acclaimed in 2015. These public productions that perpetuate the myths of the invaders is one of the principle reasons that 'Education' urgently needs to provide a more comprehensive understanding of history.

A federal government Ministers meeting passed a resolution supporting the four broad themes for change outlined in the federal government's initial response, which are reducing the overcrowding in the curriculum, promoting a parent-friendly version of the curriculum, improving accessibility for students with disabilities, and rebalancing the curriculum with the removal of the 'overarching themes' of Australian First Nations, Asia and sustainability issues embedded in curriculum subjects.

With all VCE history courses under review this year, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority has indicated that Koorie history will be cut due to declining enrolments. This leaves the one-year Australian history course as the only way for Victorian students to study Australian indigenous history in their final two years of secondary school. Given that the assessment of this body largely determines students' admission to university, teachers are under enormous pressure to adhere to the Study Design.

Jane Simpson writes that Indigenous languages won't survive if First Nations kids don't have the opportunity to speak their native languages at school. Ms Simpson is the Chair of Indigenous Linguistics and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language at Australian National University asks the question of what language(s) to teach Indigenous students, what languages to teach them in, and how to go about it has been generating a little political heat (but not quite so much light) of late.

... it just will not deliver long-term gains

It seems like a bizarre kind of double-think that the government can abandon the Gonski funding model, which would have most helped disadvantaged students; cut $534 million in funding for Indigenous community health and education programs; and then turn around and claim that a sparkly new program will somehow "fix" First Nations literacy.

The archaeological history of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia is a truly remarkable story that very few Australians are aware of ... Perhaps the most deceptive myth perpetuated about Aboriginal society is the idea it was 'primitive', 'stone age', 'nomadic', or 'unevolved'. This type of thinking feeds racist stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes which continue to marginalise and disassociate Aboriginal Australians from the national identity.

Before the new curriculum has even been taught, Extreme right wing Minister Christopher Pyne, raises questions over teaching of Aboriginal history and wants a strong slant on the benefits of white colonisation.

Reconciliation, Nationalism and the History Wars
A paper presented to the Australasian Political Studies Association Conference University of Adelaide
Dr Andrew Gunstone
Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies
Monash University
29 September - 1 October 2004