Australian Curriculum Submission to the ACARA Review

In the submission to the ACARA Review of the Australian Curriculum consultation CSA has called for a curriculum of hope. The submission encourages ACARA to help move the Curriculum beyond the negative and divisive ‘culture wars’ to embrace the truth of the history and heritage of the First Nations People of Australia but also balance this with the, largely, Christian heritage introduced with British settlement. As well as ensuring that the impact of faith on the shaping of our overwhelmingly religious Nation is incorporated in the form of some general religious education, we have called for a redefining of the ‘Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia’ cross-curriculum priority to include Pacific Island Nations and our near neighbours in Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste, with whom Australia has both a long history and clear future interest. CSA commends the Education Council for commissioning this review and appreciates the work undertaken to date by ACARA, but there is more work to be done to ensure a final updated Australian Curriculum that can carry forward learning in the contemporary Australian context.