Paulin Hanson's One Nation celebrated the 'defeat' of critical race theory on social media last month (Image: AAP/Lukas Koch)
Pressure is mounting on the body developing a new national curriculum as politicians and interest groups try to frame changes introduced in a draft (including the inclusion of more Indigenous culture and problem-solving) as “woke activists” teaching children to “hate Australia”.
In mid-2020, the federal and state education ministers commissioned a review for “refining, realigning and decluttering” the content of the curriculum for preschool to year 10.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) produced a draft with a number of changes, including: teaching mathematics that prioritised problem-solving; introducing digital literacy education earlier on; and, in what was always set to draw attention, including more First Nations culture while replacing references to “Christian heritage” with terms such as “secular” or “multi-faith” to reflect Australia’s diversity.