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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-17 Daily Xml
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ELECTORAL EDUCATION CENTRES

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH (15:50): I rise to speak about the funding cuts to electoral education centres in the last federal budget.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH: Perhaps we could have that bowl back for electoral education in Australia.

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Winderlich! The bowl has been ruled out of order.

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH: Our leaders clearly do not want an educated citizenry. What else can we conclude from the federal government's decision to cut funding for the Australian Electoral Commission's electoral education centres in the federal budget? Electoral education centres in Adelaide and Melbourne will close and in Perth will have to be self-funding—all this just to save $6.1 million, or 0.0008 cent of the $900 million stimulus bonus package.

Apparently, the gap is supposed to be filled by using the internet and printed materials, and we are promised so-called civic education down the track for an already overloaded curriculum. However, in the meantime, there is a complete void in political education. A relatively recent graduate of our education system tells me that the electoral education centre provided the only formal political education in his entire schooling. Australian Studies, I am told, does not cover this and is Mickey Mouse (or, I should say, Blinky Bill), predominantly focusing on trivial Australian quirks rather than education about the society in which we live. It is known to be, more often than not, a tokenistic attempt at imparting Australiana, or Australianism. Politics as a formal subject is only an option in some schools at senior levels, and now Australian Studies has been cut as a compulsory subject from 2010 and the other great subject for developing political literacy, history, is disappearing en masse from our schools.

By the time that people get to university they are specialising, and only those who study politics or get involved in student politics will gain any detailed knowledge of how they can engage in the formal decision-making processes of our state and our nation. So, we have a bizarre situation where voting is compulsory but knowing how to vote is optional and completely up to individuals to figure out. That is not even to mention the complete disregard our education system has shown for public affairs. We are providing an excellent grounding for donkey voters—a passive, untrained populace, following a dumbing-down media in a race towards the lowest common denominator.

Yet, political literacy could form the basis of an exciting and engaging program in every school and workplace. People are participating on committees and school councils and running sports clubs, so they have a practical sense of democracy at the grass roots. What they lack is any real understanding of the traditions, processes and strategies of parliamentary politics and elections, and that lack of knowledge means they are less able to understand and participate in the decisions that affect them. Their lack of knowledge creates apathy. There are notable exceptions. The recent action to save the Chelsea Cinema, for example, demonstrates an admirable awareness of political tactics and strategy.

The grass roots could be connected to the big picture through a revitalisation of Australian Studies. Introducing a strong politics or civics strand to this subject could be used to focus on local, state and federal elections and governance. This would help create an active, engaged and critical citizenry able to hold governments to account. Perhaps that is why this funding has been cut.

Time expired.

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