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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-14 Daily Xml
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SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:13): My question is for the Minister for Education. Will the minister be changing her previous position and support the compulsory history component being proposed for students from kindergarten to year 10 by the Rudd government's National Curriculum Board? History has been identified by the National Curriculum Board as a core subject for one of four subjects to have national courses developed.

Controversial history professor, and former communist, Stuart Macintyre, will be one of the four educators drafting the board's direction of history courses. When a similar approach to national curriculum and history was proposed under the federal Liberal government with respected historian Geoffrey Blainey to front the drafting committee, the minister told The Advertiser on 27 June 2007 that a national history curriculum could neglect South Australian history. The minister had previously asserted in The Australian on 3 February 2007 that a national curriculum would not benefit students one iota.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:14): I think that anybody who is rational would not want politicians to be writing school curriculum, or wanting politicians to decide which parts of history should be taught in schools. However, the debate about upgrading and improving curriculum is a valid one to have. I think the debate that has occurred about the balance between Australian and world history is also a very significant one.

I think that what has happened over the past 50 years is that there has been a very strong recognition that Australian history was under-represented. Now the debate has moved to whether or not world history has been undervalued. I do not think this is a debate for politicians to be involved in; we should really have expert views about how the curriculum is developed.

Having said that, South Australia has always had history at the core of its teaching. We have said that it is significant and that we should ensure that local history resides within that curriculum. I believe it would be unthinkable for us, as South Australians, to have a curriculum that was put together without due understanding of local issues. For instance, South Australia has some very significant and unique elements that need to be part of a new history curriculum, and I would never support a centrally directed program that did not take into account the values that South Australians want. However I would not, of course, think myself capable enough, skilled enough or qualified to dictate how the curriculum was to be developed. That is properly done by teachers and historians—and I think all rational people would believe that to be the case.

In the balance between overseas and Australian history, it is without question, and there is a strong view, that we have missed a lot of world history because of our recent focus on Australian history. However, I would not like to see all history be about the East Coast, I would not like to see all Australian history reside on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains, and, whenever there is any question about the curriculum, it has to be based on local content.

What is important is that the previous government's view on curriculum was predominantly directed towards a senior certificate. At the moment this government has invested a lot of work into personalising the curriculum, having flexibility, introducing trade schools, and introducing the capacity to have school-based apprenticeships. The year 12 SSABSA system is, therefore, one that has credibility and integrity, and it will not be lost.

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