The teaching of Australian history in Australian schools: a normative view Prepared for the Australian history summit Canberra, August 17th 2006 Gregory Melleuish Associate Professor of History and Politics The University of Wollongong HistorySummit_AusPastCOVER_003.indd 1 3/08/2006 9:00:49
THE TEACHING OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORY IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS: A NORMATIVE VIEW This paper seeks to address the issue of what Australians should know about their past. Its focus is what it would be appropriate to teach to students in Australian schools between Years 3 and 10. It is written by someone who is an academic historian and is based on my professional knowledge and expertise. Therefore, it represents my professional judgement on this issue but is not in any way meant to be conclusive. It is a starting point that hopefully will advance the conversation on this matter. It is my expectation that it will lead to an informed discussion of curriculum matters relating to the teaching of Australian History. In this spirit I welcome constructive criticism of the ideas put forward in the paper. The paper has been organised in sections. The fi rst section deals with some general principles concerning the nature and the study of history and then proceeds to a discussion of narrative and the teaching of history. The second section considers in some detail the question: What should Australian students know? It is divided into two parts. The fi rst deals with Secondary schooling and the second part looks at primary schooling. The first part, for ease of reading, is divided up into segments with each segment devoted to a specifi c time period in Australian history. For the secondary schooling section I have argued that the study of Australian history in schools should contain three elements. The first is a specific knowledge of a number of public events and developments in Australia, the second a general understanding of the global context in which Australian history occurred, the third is some knowledge of the everyday life lived by Australians in the past. Some Preliminary Considerations History is about people, people who in some ways are similar to us and in other ways different. History seeks to understand these people, their ways of life, their value as individuals. History deals with the issue of how we come to know about people and a world that no longer exists, and seeks to provide its students with the skills to achieve that goal. Australian students need to know the history of Australia because it is their story, the story of the people who have composed the community of which they are part. In coming to know that story they also come to know something more about themselves, and this asks them to think about what sort of society Australia should be in the future. The knowledge that the study of history provides, and the skills that it inculcates, develop the sorts of capacities that enable people to live useful and dignified lives as citizens and members of Australian society in the twenty first century. 1 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 1 3/08/2006 8:41:18
Narrative and Australian History Placing events into a sequence enhances our knowledge and understanding of history. Things happen over time and later events often do not make a lot of sense without an appreciation of what came before. Narrative is a tricky concept. 1 There is no single narrative into which all history can be placed but a number of narratives, some of which may confl ict and others that may be complementary. Narrative is both about what we put into a story and what we leave out. The art of writing history or of putting together a history course for teaching purposes is an art that requires considerable skill but the narrative produced by a historian ultimately depends on the judgement of that historian. There will invariably be more than one version of a story and recognition of this can be seen in the statement of the Founder of History Herodotus, So this is the evidence produced by either side; anyone can agree with whichever of the two accounts he fi nds plausible. Judging amongst plausible accounts, is something that the citizen of contemporary society does on a daily basis. It is a necessary skill in a democratic society in which a citizen must often consider many versions of an event. In this sense the skills developed through the study of history are those of the democratic citizen, as participants in the institutions of civil society and as informed voters. To give but one example, the skills taught by history are not all that different from those exercised by the member of a jury. Students studying history should be provided with facts, stories and interpretations. They progressively acquire the skills required to judge the plausibility of the stories with which they are presented. This means judging and evaluating evidence, considering how well an account works, attempting to evaluate actions and motives. Before they can exercise these skills they must fi rst have a good factual grounding in the basic facts and the narratives that have been constructed out of those facts. There are as many possible narratives as there are historians willing and able to write them. This does not mean that all narratives are subjective or ideologically motivated, but rather that different historians choose to emphasise different things according to the story that they are attempting to tell. The construction of a narrative is generally a matter of professional judgement based on the historian s desire to fi nd the best way of telling a particular story or interpreting a body of evidence. It should come as no surprise to learn that 1 Narrative: From the Latin narro, -are, -avi, -atum, Sanscrit gnâ, Greek gignosco to know latin gnarus knowing or acquainted with a thing. Means to tell, relate, report, recount (Lewis & Short, p. 1186) 2 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 2 3/08/2006 8:41:41
Australian historians do not agree when it comes to a single narrative to describe and explain the Australian story. History is distorted when it becomes a conscious vehicle for the purpose of advocating contemporary political causes rather than being driven by its own intrinsic concerns. This has been the source of the so-called History Wars in which history is enlisted to support partisan political causes. Any narrative can be challenged on professional grounds with regard to evidence and argument. The reality of disagreement does not mean that it is not possible to set up a narrative, or collections of narratives, or a collection of events from which such narratives can be constructed, as the basis of the teaching of history in schools. Any such narrative(s) will always be provisional and be subject to revision so long as the revisions are motivated by professional rather than political concerns. Hence this exercise is driven by professional considerations: what should Australian school children know about the history of their country by the time that they have completed Year 10. What sorts of skills should they have acquired so that they are able to evaluate evidence and judge between competing historical accounts? Some concern has been expressed that the emphasis on narrative will lead to the teaching of a single offi cially endorsed narrative. It is my view that part of the problem at the present time is that there is a tendency for narratives of Australian history to exclude or marginalise many of the signifi cant elements that have been very important in the development of Australia. These include economic development issues, middle Australia, people of religious belief and the churches and non-deakinite (Free Trade) liberals. It is necessary that a place be made for these elements. This can be done generally either in an overall narrative, or by providing narratives that include these elements. In part my thinking on this matter has been shaped by my reading of a number of textbooks set for the compulsory twentieth century Australian history course in New South Wales. I found that these books lacked balance, focusing on some topics excessively such as the Vietnam War, the Whitlam government and social movements of the late twentieth century while other signifi cant matters such as economic development received minimal treatment. Of course, this could simply refl ect the curriculum that they covered. However, care should be exercised in dealing with this issue of multiple narratives and interpretations. Many students may struggle with simply understanding facts, people and events (this can be true of university students!) and seek the approved version, something that any teacher of history fi nds exasperating. It needs to be emphasised 3 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 3 3/08/2006 8:41:41
that all interpretations require evidence and should be able to provide a plausible account of events. There is an extraordinary amount of weird history now available, such as that underlying the Da Vinci Code, and students need to be provided with the skills that enable them to distinguish between plausible and implausible accounts of the facts. Another technique that can be used to encourage students to develop interpretative skills is the use of counterfactual or what if history. G V Portus provided some excellent examples of this genre in Australian history back in the 1940s. The study of history requires a degree of imagination, especially if students are to gain a degree of empathy with the people that they are studying and what if history stimulates the imagination. For example students could consider what the consequences would have been for Australia if Western Australia had decided not to join the Commonwealth (or if New Zealand had joined) or if Germany had successfully invaded Britain in 1940. What should Australian students know? Australian history is crap. No-one wants to learn Australian history cause nothing happened. NSW Year 10 student 2006. There are many views that could be held regarding the teaching of Australian History in Australian schools. Many emanate from academics and enthusiasts who view the teaching of history from the stand point of someone for whom history plays an important part in their lives. For most students, however, this will be the only signifi cant contact with the study of history during their lives. As noted above, it provides a unique opportunity to impart some essential knowledge and some useful skills that will aid them as citizens in their everyday lives. These skills include the analysis of evidence and the capacity to scrutinize and develop arguments. Leaving aside the skills issue, the challenge is to provide students with knowledge of what might be termed the essentials of the history of Australia. But, as we live in a globalised world, it is, I believe, also necessary to provide students with an account of the place of Australia in the wider history of the human race. There should be three elements in any attempt to convey what might be termed the essentials of Australian history. These are as follows: 1. A knowledge of the signifi cant public events and developments that have taken place in Australia or that concern Australians. These events should be organised within the framework of a narrative or story because that is the easiest way of making sense of events. Now such a narrative will not be presented 4 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 4 3/08/2006 8:41:41
as the only reading of Australian history and students will be invited to consider different interpretations of events. Equally there should be opportunities to focus on particular aspects of the larger story. 2. A basic knowledge of the global environment in which the development of Australia has taken place. Australian history did not take place in a vacuum and students need to be aware of the wider world of which Australia is part. This could be done by providing a series of snapshots at various points during the course. These snapshots would not be in depth but designed to provide an overall background picture and setting for the study of Australia. 3. Some appreciation of what might be termed the texture of the life, the everyday experience of people living in Australia 50 or 100 or 200 years ago. The extent to which this can be pursued is limited but important because it helps students to appreciate the humanity of people who were quite different from them. In my more detailed proposals I have suggested possible areas that could be covered. As noted in the quote at the beginning of this section, one of the perennial complaints about Australian history is that it is not interesting because it lacks the wars, violence and revolutions of other countries. It is claimed that students fi nd it diffi cult to warm to the almost bland taste of the Australian experience. Certainly Australia has nothing to compare to the English Civil War, the American Revolution, the American Civil War and the many European revolutions. It is part of the historian s task to explain why this has been the case, why Australia did not have a version of what Kevin Phillips has termed The Cousins Wars that plagued England and America or the wars that were the blight of Europe for generation after generation. Nevertheless Australians possess the same human nature as those who have lived in more violent times and places and are subject to the same ambitions, drives and temptations. A great human drama has been played out in Australia, something that Manning Clark recognised, even if his attempt to portray it went awry. There are episodes of great drama in the history of Australia that can excite the imagination even if they did not result in wars and violent revolution. Nevertheless my experience at university level is that Australian history struggles when competing against European and Ancient History. The reasons for this weakness need to be uncovered and addressed. It has been said that one of the reasons for the success of Ancient History in NSW schools has been the enormous enthusiasm of Ancient History teachers and their capacity to transmit that enthusiasm to their students. The teaching of Australian history deserves no less. 5 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 5 3/08/2006 8:41:41
As stated earlier my discussion of what should be taught about Australian history to Australian school students is not to be seen as defi nitive but as an attempt to begin a conversation on what is a practical problem. Having decided that something should be taught, the issue becomes a nuts and bolts one of what to include in the curriculum. I have divided the rest of the paper into two parts. The fi rst part deals with Australian history in secondary schools. It assumes that Australian history will be taught over two years, Year 9 dealing with the nineteenth century and Year 10 with the twentieth century. The second part considers how Australian history could be approached in primary school. At times it will appear that I have strayed from the describing what needs to be taught in terms of events and into the area of interpretation. In reality it is diffi cult to separate out the two: facts and interpretation. Some facts become important because they form part of an interpretation. One thing that struck me in doing the work for this paper is the lack of debate and discussion regarding the structure of the narrative of Australian history, and of such things as the periods of Australian history. Recent debates in Australian history have been concerned with other matters. As this paper is a personal view, the various proposals being put forward should be considered not as a set of conclusions but as a stimulus to further discussion and debate, in the fi rst instance for the participants attending the History Summit. Australian History for Secondary Schools In what follows I have divided Australian history into a number of periods or units to allow for ease of discussion. I have elaborated my arguments largely in point form again to allow for ease of discussion. At the beginning of the European presence: 1788 A considerable time would need to be spent here considering the various elements that ultimately went into the making of Australian culture. There can be seen to be a number of stories going on here. 1. A good starting point is that of Manning Clark s original but largely unrealised vision: the battle amongst the forces of the Enlightenment, Protestantism and Catholicism. To this, one would need to add indigenous Australia. One would want to modify this list and also emphasise that Australian history has involved a number of imported cultures including English Anglicanism, Scottish Presbyterianism, English nonconformity and Irish Catholicism as well as the rationalist values of the Enlightenment. A possible model here is David Hackett Fischer s Albion s Seed in which the regional cultures 6 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 6 3/08/2006 8:41:42
of eighteenth century America are traced back to their specifi c locations in England. Although this level of detail may not work for Australia nevertheless Australia needs to be placed in the context of its major constituent cultures. 2. There would be a module on pre-contact Indigenous society, with a focus on how Aborigines adapted to the Australian environment, their material culture, their spiritual life and customs. 3. There would be a module on the nature of 18 th century English, Scottish and Irish societies with an emphasis on religion and culture. For example it could be pointed out what Australia owes to the English rule of law and institutions of limited Monarchy and representative government as well as to the Scottish ideal of democratic education. There would also need to be a consideration of the nature of Britishness characterised by Linda Colley as being founded on liberty and profit. 4. There would need to be a consideration of the nature of the Enlightenment and its importance for Australia. David Malouf s point that Australian English derives from late Enlightenment English as compared to the more fractious form of English taken to America is relevant in this matter. The focus would largely be on the sceptical Enlightenment of England and Scotland rather than the more aggressive French Enlightenment. Emphasis would be placed on development of natural science from Newton onwards. However the social sciences, including economics, sociology and history would also need to be considered. The values of the Enlightenment such as reasonable behaviour, toleration, improvement and liberty could be discussed and related to how they worked out in the Australian setting. 5. The voyages of Captain Cook would be placed in the context of the scientific spirit of the Enlightenment. 6. The sweet reason of the Enlightenment can be usefully contrasted with the harshness of English law and the reality of life in eighteenth century England that led to the creation of the penal colony at Sydney Cove. 7. The voyage of 1788 needs to be placed in its global context. What did the world look like in 1788? This would provide the first snapshot of global history for students. I think that such things as the global conflict between Britain and France, the foundation of the USA, the strength of China, the situation in the Islamic world including the Ottoman Empire, the increasing encroachment of commercial and agricultural peoples on the territory of the foragers. Future surveys of the world in later sections of the course would continue to look at the situation in Europe, China, the Islamic World and America. 7 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 7 3/08/2006 8:41:42
8. The coming of the 1 st Fleet to Australia and the English context for its sending would need to be examined. 9. Cultural contact between the early settlement and the indigenous inhabitants would be a central topic for the narrative of the First Fleet and the ensuing settlement. This would include a comparison of the texture of life of the indigenous Australians and the new arrivals as the fi rst instalment of considering the everyday life of Australians in the past. Australia as a penal colony As with any period of Australian history there are multiple stories going on during the early years of European occupation. The major ones, I believe, are as follows: 1. The fi rst is the story of the colony as a penal colony. Its highly unusual nature should be emphasised, including the fact that the colony was founded without a charter or constitution. Then there is the role of the early governors as despots and the slow emergence of a free society composed of emancipists, free settlers and the children of convicts. 2. The struggle for free and representative institutions and normality as the colony moved to becoming a free society with the usual legal protections of English society such as trial by jury. 3. The economic development of Australia needs to be examined as the wool industry develops and Australia is linked into the economic expansion of Britain and Europe. The fact of the economic development of Australia and its need to produce goods that could be sold in a global market place needs to be considered. Australia could only develop and support a growing population if it had the means to support that population. 4. The story of the exploration and the scientifi c conquest of Australia. The signifi cance of the European explorers needs to be examined and their story told but not to excess (I recall explorers as being the most boring part of Australian history when I was at school). This links into the Enlightenment theme but also that of economic development. 5. The negative impact of the coming of these settlers on indigenous Australia. The story of the human tragedy undergone by the Australian Aborigines as they faced new diseases, competition for resources and the loss of land needs to be told. It would be useful, I believe, to have some sort of comparative focus to place the Australian indigenous experience in perspective. The most appropriate would be the Maori experience in New Zealand. 8 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 8 3/08/2006 8:41:42
Australia as a free society 1. This would begin with a snapshot of the world in 1851. In particular The Great Exhibition of 1851 and its meaning for the creation of a more globally oriented world would make a good focus. This could lead onto a discussion of the colonial exhibitions of the late nineteenth century. Then a survey of the world would follow: the United States, democracy and the coming of the Civil War, European nationalism, including Germany, Italy and Greece, and liberalism, the growing dominance of the West and its impact on the Islamic world and China. 2. The development of free settlement. The stories of the foundation of South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria. A focus could be South Australia as a paradise of dissent, a successful middle class colony that developed agriculture and this story could include some acknowledgement of the Lutherans as Australia s fi rst signifi cant non-indigenous group that did not derive from the British Isles. 3. The process of the decolonisation of the settler colonies. This would involve the story of the development of free institutions, responsible government and democracy. An emphasis would be placed on the idea of responsible government, the adoption of universal manhood suffrage and the secret ballot. At this stage students should be encouraged to think about just exactly what they understand by democracy. This would raise the issue of majoritarianism versus the rights of minorities, and students could consider the place of Chinese and indigenous Australians under the new democratic institutions. In this context students should consider the signifi cance of Eureka and the Lambing Flats riots for the development of democracy in Australia. 4. The story of economic development as expressed in the development of rural industry and the development of the mining industry, especially gold mining would need to be told. Again there would be an emphasis on Australia s development and its relationship to the global economy. The importance of the Gold Rushes in attracting people and creating a dynamic society. Students could consider what Australia would have looked like if there had been no gold in Australia. 5. Colonial democracy and its relationship to economic progress would be the next story. Students should consider what colonial governments did to aid the economic development of colonial Australia through such things as building railways and other forms of infrastructure, and implementing certain types of fi scal policies such as free trade and protection. 9 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 9 3/08/2006 8:41:42
They should consider how colonial governments fi nanced economic development. 6. Colonial democracy and the issue of free selection. Students would explore the ideal of the independent yeoman farmer in Australia and how this ideal stood somewhat at odds with the economic development imperative (This is an old argument developed by G V Portus). The importance of the ideal of the independent farmer/mechanic/professional/businessman for the development of Australia. 7. The development of commercial and other sorts of voluntary institutions that are the mark of a free society, including self help organisations, such as building societies, and trade unions. There could be a discussion of the fi rst of these that was intercolonial, the Anti-Transportation League. There could also be a discussion of the development of trade unions and how Australia developed some of the world s fi rst Labour parties. 8. Religious freedom and secular freedom in Australia. This would include the idea of freedom of speech as derived from British practice. It could also explore the extent to which colonial Australia was a secular society. It could look at education, science and religion in the colonies with some consideration of sectarianism. 9. The section on everyday life in colonial Australia would focus on food, homes, going to school, entertainment and pastimes. Federated Australia 1. The snapshot would be of the world in 1901. This is the highpoint for the European empires and European domination of the world but with Britain now facing powerful competitors such as Germany. It is also a low point for China as foreign powers come to dominate it in the wake of the Boxer rebellion. Japan emerges as an important power capable of defeating both China and then Russia. The growing economic power of America and the 1898 war with Spain. A growing uncertainty and mood of pessimism in the world but an Indian summer of tranquillity before the great confl agration. 2. The context for federation. This would include the 1890s depression and the growth of nationalist sentiment. This would provide the opportunity to look at late nineteenth century art and literature in Australia and for students to evaluate the idea that the 1890s were a decade of great cultural vitality. They would also look at the development of the idea of the bush as the source of the Australian virtues. 10 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 10 3/08/2006 8:41:42
3. Students would be encouraged to look at the career and work of one of the cultural icons of these years such as Henry Lawson or Banjo Paterson or Tom Roberts or Miles Franklin to look at how they portrayed the Australia of their day. 4. The Federation movement from 1889 to the achievement of federation in 1901. Students would look at the process by which the Constitution came into being. 5. The Commonwealth constitution. Students would examine some of its basic features including the fusion of the Westminster system with the American practice of federalism. They would consider the questions: What did federation mean generally for Australians? What did it mean for indigenous Australians? What did it mean for Kanakas and Chinese? 6. Commonwealth politics and the emergence of a two party system. This would go back to the 1890s and consider how the development of the Labour Party, with its emphasis on party discipline, led eventually to the two party system. 7. The Australian Settlement would need to be explored. By Australian Settlement is meant the policies of the early Commonwealth especially White Australia, Industry Protection and Industrial Arbitration and Conciliation. In a wider sense it is linked to the policies that are sometimes referred to as the Social Laboratory or progressivism and hence includes policies enacted at a state level. Hence it includes such things as eugenics, educational policies and, by implication, policies relating to Aboriginal protection. How did these types of policies relate to federation? At this point it would be useful to explore the ideas of a fair go, fair and reasonable, fair price that were meant to underpin these policies. 8. This is the period at which women achieved the franchise. It would be useful for students to consider how women achieved the vote while at the same time being treated as inferiors by the Arbitration system and its bias towards male breadwinners. 9. The everyday life section could explore the world of work at the beginning of the twentieth century. This could include the types of occupation, working conditions, unions and employers. The interpretation of the developments in Australia between 1890 and 1910, in particular, the Australian or Deakinite Settlement is potentially the most contentious of the topics to be considered. For some it constitutes the Australian way and for them, to challenge the principles that underpinned it is to reject what it means to be Australian. For others, beginning with the analysis of W K Hancock in Australia, the policies of the early Commonwealth were a giant mistake in need of rectifi cation. Hancock drew attention to the moral 11 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 11 3/08/2006 8:41:42
ambiguity of the key ideal of fairness (Australian fairness could equal someone else s pain). It is necessary that the Australian Settlement be treated in a fair and objective fashion. The competing vision offered by Free Trade liberalism needs to be considered and not written out of Australian history. The pros and cons of both views need to be evaluated. The positive and negative effects of the Australian Settlement need to be considered. In particular, the integral place of White Australia in the Australian Settlement and its claim to be about fairness should be faced, as should the connection between the principles of the Deakinite settlement and those underlying policy towards the indigenous people. The discussion about what constitutes fairness can be seen as complementing the earlier discussion about the meaning of democracy in relation to minorities. Australian Democracy in an age of international insecurity 1. The snapshot would be the world in 1941. The focus would be on the struggle between the two totalitarian regimes Nazi Germany and Communist Russia, Japanese expansionism in Asia, how America came to enter World War II and the fragility of democracy in Europe. It would look at how World War 1 destabilised the world with the fall of the European empires, the Russian Revolution and the consequences of the Versailles Peace Treaty. 2. The focus would be on how and why Australia became involved in both World War I and World War II and what was at stake in both decisions. 3. Australia s role in World War I and, in particular, at Gallipoli would be examined. The signifi cance of the Gallipoli story for Australian life would need to be considered. The role that Australians played on the Western Front and in the ultimate Allied victory as well as Sir John Monash as perhaps the outstanding Allied general would form another focus for students. The effect of the war on the home front with particular emphasis placed on the conscription debate. 4. The consequences of World War I for Australia would be the next topic. In particular this would involve a consideration of what 60000 war dead meant for Australia. This would include the story of how Australia entered onto the world stage and the role that Billy Hughes played at Versailles. It would consider the development of Australia s position within the British Empire. It would then go on to consider how Australia coped in the post war world. They could consider the question: Were 12 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 12 3/08/2006 8:41:43
the inter war years a period of drift when compared to the fi rst decade of the Commonwealth? 5. The Great Depression and its impact on Australia. This would mean looking at why and how the Depression impacted on Australia in relation to Australia s place in the world economy. This would be followed by the story of how Australian democracy responded to the challenge of the Depression. It would primarily look at the challenge from both extreme left and extreme right. This could involve the Jack Lang story and the Joe Lyons story. Students could be asked to consider why Australia remained a democracy at a time when many other countries succumbed to extremism or, like the French Third Republic, survived only to collapse in 1940. 6. One focus for this period could be the development of Australian culture ranging from high to popular culture. This should include Australian contributions to international science and learning such as Howard Florey, Macfarlane Burnet and Gordon Childe. It should also consider Australian popular culture from the comedian Mo to cricket and Don Bradman. 7. The Impact of World War II on Australia would form a major part of this story. This would include the involvement of Australia in the war against Germany and Italy, the fall of Singapore and its consequences, the Kokoda Trail, the American presence in Australia, Australia s role in the war from 1942-5, creating a world consciousness (Evatt and the UN). 8. The story of Indigenous Australia during these years would need to be pursued, again within the context of Australian democracy, with consideration being given especially to what Protection meant. 9. The everyday life section could look at what life was like during either World War I or World War II. This could focus on the role and place of women Australia since World War II 1. The snapshot would be the world in 1990. This would involve a discussion of the collapse of extremism of left and right and the end of the world that World War I brought into being and what appears to be the apparent triumph of democracy. Other areas to be covered would be the decolonisation of the European empires, the rise of Japan and East Asia and the end of the tyranny of distance. 2. The fi rst story would focus on the quest for stability in post WW II Australia and then on the way in which this quest helped open the door for substantial changes and reform. This involved the need to prevent the evils of depression and war recurring in Australia. This 13 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 13 3/08/2006 8:41:43
would come in two instalments. The fi rst is the Light on the Hill of the Labor Party. The second is the story of the Menzies Years building on his idea of the Forgotten People. There is a common emphasis on nation building and economic development. Things to be considered would include the encouragement of migrants to come to Australia, the establishment of secondary industry including the Holden and the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The expansion of the universities and the growth of science would also follow. Economic developments to be considered would include advances in primary industry, the increase in home ownership, the growth of the mining sector and the establishment of economic ties with Asia and the decline of links with Europe. All of this, it should be noted, took place within the framework of a regulated fi nancial and industrial relations system. 3. Part of this quest for security consisted in achieving a stable international environment in the wake of decolonisation and the spread of Communism into Eastern Europe and East and South East Asia. The focus would be on Indonesia and Australia, the Korean War, Malaya, Confrontation and the Vietnam War as well as relationships with both Britain and the United States. 4. Students would then be able to look at the consequences of the change unleashed by the quest for stability. These would include the growth of suburban affl uence, the expansion of the educated and professional middle class, the emancipation of women and their increased presence in the workforce and the growing ethnic diversity of Australia. They could also look at the growing independence of Australia from Australian citizenship to the Australia Act 1986. 5. Out of this change would come the story of Reforming Australia from Holt to Hawke. This would include the end of White Australia, the 1967 referendum on indigenous Australians and the subsequent policies of the Commonwealth government, multiculturalism, the reforms of the 1980s including fi nancial deregulation, the fl oating of the dollar, the cutting back of protection and industrial relations reform. Students could consider why policies that had been so important for so long in Australia were either jettisoned or modifi ed. Was a new Australia emerging? 6. The story of Australia s place in the world could also be continued here with an emphasis on Australia s relationship with Indonesia and China. 7. The story of the development of Australian culture could be continued with the focus being Australian culture in a globalised world. It could consider such things as Patrick White as Nobel prize winner, the international success of Australian soapies and the Australian quest for sporting success. 8. The ordinary life segment could focus on the life experiences of migrants coming to Australia and considering what it was like to 14 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 14 3/08/2006 8:41:43
settle in a new land. It would also consider how these migrants and their descendants contributed to the making of Australia. Australian History for Australian primary schools If there were to be a thorough treatment of Australian history at Year 9 and Year 10 at secondary level how then is this to relate to the teaching of Australian history in primary school. We would not want simply to have a more simple version of the later curriculum. Moreover students do not like the same topics being repeated over and over again (Not multiculturalism again!) I think that it would be possible to do a number of things in the earlier years at primary school level: 1. Deal with stories relating to the local area, with emphasis on events in which there is a connection to the broader Australian story. These could include visits to local war memorials and museums, interactions with the local indigenous people, what happened in World War I and World War II in the local area, how the local industries were developed. 2. Look at some state history, such as when the colony was established, who were the local Aboriginal people and how did they live, how did the colony achieve self government, how did the people of the state come to vote to become part of the Commonwealth. 3. Consider some of the more interesting people and events in Australian history with a view to interesting students in the Australian story. The idea would be present some of the drama of Australian history, and hopefully to stimulate their imagination and interest in the national story. Study of Australian history at primary school would have fairly modest aims. It should provide students with some basic knowledge on which they could build when they come to study Australian history in secondary school. More importantly it is an opportunity to create enthusiasm so that when they come to look at Australia in secondary school they approach it as something about which they want to learn. My favoured approach at this level would be to focus on events through people, using mini biographies as a way of looking at the Australian past. I propose two ways of looking at Australian history in this fashion. The fi rst would focus on a number of actual people. The second would be to look at unknown Australians, generic people who can be seen as representative of particular times and places in Australia. 15 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 15 3/08/2006 8:41:43
The two lists below are meant to provide some examples of the sorts of people that could be studied. The known people list is only suggestive and would easily be extended. In general I believe that political fi gures should generally be avoided except in a case like the fi rst Prime Minister. Known People: Captain Cook. Governor Phillip Bennelong John and Elizabeth Macarthur Caroline Chisholm Peter Lalor Catherine Helen Spence Mary Mackillop Edmund Barton John Simpson Kirkpatrick John Monash Isaac Isaacs Don Bradman Joan Sutherland Charles Perkins Peter Abeles Unknown Australians: Aborigine living before 1788. Woman convict Aboriginal victim of the frontier wars. Digger on the goldfi elds. Free selector Child during the 1900 plague Middle class family circa 1910 Unknown soldier WW I Family during the depression Aborigine living in Protectionist Australia Unknown soldier WW II Family of the 1950s Migrant worker on the Snowy Mountains Scheme Teenager of the 1960s. Boat person of the late 1970s Working mother of the 1980s 16 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 16 3/08/2006 8:41:43
Conclusion This paper has sought to set out the sorts of things that a young Australian should know about Australian history by the end of their Year 10 schooling. It envisages that a student will acquire the bulk of this knowledge in Year 9 and Year 10 and that the work undertaken in primary school be seen in terms of preparation for Years 9 and 10 as an opportunity to instil an enthusiasm for history in students. Although students may undertake other studies of history in junior secondary school this cannot be assumed. Hence there is a genuine need to embed Australian history in some sort of global context. As well as ensuring that students are literate in Australian history, studying history should provide students with the capacity to evaluate evidence, to make judgements regarding the plausibility of arguments and competing accounts and encourage their powers of imagination and empathy. In this way it prepares them for their rights and responsibilities as citizens. 17 HistorySummit_AusPast_004.indd 17 3/08/2006 8:41:43