The national curriculum needs to be decluttered and simplified to help Australian students excel, the education minister says.
Dan Tehan has flagged a review of the curriculum, which could see revamped learning goals for Australian schoolchildren.
"What I'm hearing from teachers and principals is there is just too much on the curriculum, there is too much being asked of teachers to teach," Mr Tehan told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"What they want to see is a more simplified curriculum and that's why I'm calling for us to look at decluttering the Australian curriculum."
In a speech to an education conference on Monday, Mr Tehan said it was time to "look after our teachers" after citing a 2016 Deloitte Access Economic report, which identified teachers as the single biggest influence on a students outcome at school.
He also cited a Hunter Institute of Mental Health survey of 453 teachers, which found up to two-thirds identified time management as their biggest challenge. More than half of the respondents said they wanted more time for mentoring and planning.
Mr Tehan goes on to say it was important to increase the "attractiveness of the profession" and to provide student teachers more time in the classroom as part of their training.
"The teachers I speak to as Education Minister, as a rural MP and as a parent are passionate about education, and passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people," he said in a copy of the speech.
"I want to ensure that the best, the brightest and the most passionate people want to become teachers and want to stay teaching."
