How well do you know the Australian Constitution?
According to the Australian Curriculum (AC), Year 7 students (12-year-olds) who reach the Achievement Standard are able to ‘explain features of Australia’s Constitution, including the process for constitutional change’.
They can also identify the ideas, values and principles that underpin Australia’s political and legal systems, and ‘explain the diverse nature… and… shared values’ of contemporary Australian society. Really?
What precisely is contemporary Australian society?
According to the Civics and Citizenship section of the Australian Curriculum (AC) Australia is a ‘secular democratic nation with a dynamic, multicultural, multi-faith society and a Christian heritage’.
Interesting!
The Australian Curriculum (AC) fails to provide: a definition of ‘secular’; any statistical information regarding the number and names of different faiths; or any compulsory reading that contains a balanced and accurate historical account of the nation’s Christian heritage. These key words are absent from its glossary of terms.
This raises many concerns – far too many to address in one article.
Let’s try to scratch the surface, nevertheless, and begin with ‘multi-culturalism’.
Australia’s cultural, political and legal systems are based on fundamental Judeo-Christian values and principles. Its citizens have the freedom to express and celebrate those unique values and principles – on condition they do not contravene them.
Australia is a Judeo-Christian culture that willingly invites citizens of other cultures to belong. This is not multi-culturalism.
With regard to ‘secular’ – what exactly does it mean? When society permits halal certification and the wearing of Islamic headscarves, or acknowledges Christmas Day and Yom Kippur, is that consistent with a ‘secular’ Australia?
Does the complete removal of God and religion from the public sphere mean a total separation of church and state? Is secularism a dilution of religious belief and practice – as in the maintaining of marriage, but with the relinquishment of its true meaning? Or is it a blending of many religious beliefs, including Islam and atheism? In other words, is Australia a religiously plural nation?
We must teach wisely, because our way of life, and indeed our Constitution, are enshrined in the religious beliefs and practices of our Judeo-Christian foundations. Without an understanding of these ideas, values and principles, and without establishing a specific definition of ‘secular’, how can we ever truly understand Australia?
How does a 12 year-old understand Australia in the way the AC implies?
Perhaps there is another underlying purpose in the curriculum – one that comes from the left field. Is it possible, when all the layers have been peeled away, ‘contemporary Australian society’ is really only about being ‘contemporary’?
Given that this definition is the current one, could it be the intention of the AC to encourage change to the Constitution – our ‘set of rules’ – via our students?
How well do you know the Australian Constitution – the Constitution our forefathers negotiated, made sacrifices and died for? If your answer is, ‘Not very well’, then don’t be alarmed; you are not alone. And if you asked a typical 12 year-old the same question, chances are they’d be on the same page.
If you can’t quite meet the Achievement Standard, then perhaps it’s time to brush up on your knowledge of the Constitution.
Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Lacey All rights reserved.
Parent, educationist and advocate of agitating change in Australian education. By raising the bar we can face any global challenges facing Australia and Australians.
Contact me at cheryl@cheryllacey.com to learn how we can work together.
