Recently, Education Minister Christopher Pyne announced a pair of conservative-leaning education experts will be leading a review of Australia's national curriculum. The reason Mr Pyne didn't form a committee for the job was made plain in his press conference: "Everyone has a view about education, [but the curriculum] can't be all things to all people," he said.
In the case of our history curriculum, Mr Pyne suggested that a correct 'balance' would need to be struck between, on one hand, our Indigenous heritage and history, and on the other, our Western heritage and history. Nevertheless he added that more emphasis ought to be put on our Western past.
Needless to say, this has The Left up in arms, as well as anyone who still carries the scars of our more sombre past. Then again, perhaps we've misinterpreted Mr Pyne's statements. (I doubt so, but we could hope.) Given 'Australia Day' or 'Invasion Day' is approaching, and with the recent 'Australia Est. 1788' t-shirt fiasco, perhaps we are just all more sensitive to an ill-timed choice of phrase. Somehow I'm not personally optimistic, though; this is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the cheap costume is practically transparent.
For all intents and purposes, this is a Trojan review. Just as Troy thought innocently of the beautiful, giant horse at its gates, so too are too many of the public thinking innocently of this curriculum review. Unless, unbeknownst to the true believers, there is a History War of the History Wars occurring? History-War-ception?
Arguably more depressing than History Wars, though, would be the thought of history not being the only subject to somehow open its gates to the Trojan review. Biased teaching of history is one thing, but the biased teaching of science is a whole other beast. At least a biased historical narrative won't accelerate climate change or stall medical research as much as a biased scientific worldview.
"They wouldn't do it," I hear you say, "they couldn't argue with hard facts."
Has that actually stopped them before?
Let us not forget what government we are talking about here. We are talking about a government who, upon taking office, immediately took a wrecking ball to science, scientists, and everything else that didn't sit well with them, despite the facts. It was ideological ten pin bowling, and welcome to round two: The Trojan Review.
History Wars? Wait for Climate Change Wars, LGBT Wars, Philosophy Wars, and Stem Cell Wars.
Bar the gates.
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