The Australian National History Curriculum: Politics at Play

Abstract

In 2006, Prime Minister John Howard’s call for the root and renewal of Australian history initiated an ideologically driven process of developing an Australian national history curriculum which was completed by the Labor Government in 2012. Rather than being focussed on pedagogy, the process was characterised by the use of the curriculum as an ideological tool. This thesis provides accounts of the some of the key events during this period and engages with the conceptual debates that underlie the history curriculum being invested with such potent cultural authority.