John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Youth. With many students in my electorate returning to school this week, will the minister outline how the Morrison government is ensuring the national curriculum will help our kids roar back and instil a factual, positive view of our history and love of our country.

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bennelong for his question and his contribution to his electorate and indeed to our nation. It is fantastic that kids are returning to school in Melbourne and Sydney, and it is such a relief for parents and for kids. As they return to school, we are absolutely backing them in to roar back. We're doing that through record funding to every single school; we're doing that through additional mental health support; we're doing that through keeping the economy strong so that there are opportunities for them post schooling—and, of course, we're also doing this through revising the national curriculum to ensure that standards are high and that we instil that love of country which the member for Bennelong referred to.

Mr Speaker, as you'd be aware, the national curriculum is presently under review. But I've got to say that I would not support what the independent Australian curriculum authority has presently put out, the reason being that, in some cases, standards haven't been lifted but have in fact gone backwards. The clearest example of that is in the teaching of the times table. Presently, kids are being taught that in year 3, but under the revised national curriculum, which ACARA, the independent body, has put out, it would be taught in year 4. In some other countries it's actually taught in year 2. But I'll tell you what is suggested to be taught in year 2, and that is to suggest or to analyse whether a statue is racist. So you can't learn the times table, but you can do an analysis of a statue in year 2, when you are seven.

My biggest problem, though, is actually in the history curriculum—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left!

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Youth) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and it is in this history curriculum where I have the greatest problem. As you know, we live in the greatest, egalitarian, freest, wealthiest country that has ever existed in the history of humankind, but if you read that national draft curriculum on our history, you wouldn't think this. It has such a miserable view of our history. Frankly, we're not going to stand for that, because there is a reason that we are the greatest country in the world, and kids need to learn about that reason so that they can defend it, so they can be proud of it and they can do what previous generations have done.

I notice whenever I talk about this topic, whenever I talk about pride in Australia and I talk about pride in our history, the Labor Party opposite get so upset, because they equally have such a miserable view of our history and they want that miserable view imparted to kids. Well, we don't on this side of the House. We are proud of our country. We know that mums and dads are proud of their country, and we want to ensure the kids are equally proud.