Civics call to go from classroom to community
It’s time to invest in a new way of doing civics education in Australia, argues Sarah Moulds.
At a time of increasing social unrest and racist attacks in Australia, where extremist views are gaining popularity, it is vital that we employ efforts to support our peaceful, inclusive, democratic way of life.
We know that while many Australians hold our democratic system of government in high regard, there is growing distrust in the people elected to make decisions on our behalf.
The Parliament of Australia’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ issued its From Classroom to Community Report this month on its inquiry into civics education, engagement, and participation in Australia.
Listen to Tom Rogers calls for national digital literacy campaign and more civics teaching on Politics with Michelle Grattan.
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The Committee highlighted the need to invest in a more coordinated, holistic approach to civics education in Australia:
"“A healthy and stable democracy depends on the active participation of informed and engaged citizens. This requires at least a basic level of civic literacy to understand political discourse and legal frameworks that shape our society – skills built through quality lifelong civics education.”"
There is a strong link between education, civic participation and socially cohesive communities. Many of the contributors to the committee’s inquiry shared the view that democracy and responsible citizenship are noble aims and are also behaviours that we must practise and teach.
Civics education can no longer be considered an optional extra. Nor can we afford to continue with an ad hoc approach to delivering civics education in schools.
"“We know that the quality, content and timing of school-based civics and citizenship education varies considerably across schools, if it is delivered at all. Civics education is not taken seriously in many schools and time constraints limit the opportunities for young people to develop the knowledge and skills they need to be active citizens.”
Helen Connolly, South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People (CCYP)"
This is reflected in the committee’s recommendation that the federal Department of Education, should work with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and curriculum authorities in each state and territory, to put in place a nationally consistent civics and citizenship curriculum across Australia.
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The committee also recommended that the Australian Government work more closely with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) grassroots community organisations to develop and deliver tailored civics education programs in community centres across Australia.
The Committee heard directly from young Australians about the type of civics education they think is relevant to their lives and their future, which echoed what children and young people across South Australia have told Helen Connolly, the Commissioner for Children and Young People:
" “A lack of knowledge about the workings of our political system and a lack of knowledge about the candidates and parties values causes many young people to feel disengaged in politics, “ – 17 year old."
"We need… “Better education for teens leading up to the coming of age and being able to vote.” – 14 year old. "
"“Our education system needs to focus on teaching students about the world, not how to get a good grade.” – 14 year old."
The committee recommended that the Australian Government’s Office for Youth should identify ways to increase engagement with the Australian Parliament and support methods for incorporating diverse youth input into political policy and processes.
It also recognises the need for citizen-led, issue-focused approaches to civics education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Committees (CALD), and calls for the government to work more closely with grassroots community organisations to develop and deliver civics education programs in community centres across Australia.
Investment in this approach was emphasised in the additional comments provided by Independent MP Monique Ryan who called for the establishment of democratic action fund to fund local efforts to “provide opportunities for people to experience public and community decision-making in environments that explore and experiment with new democratic methods”.
For South Australians, this report aligns with and reinforces the efforts undertaken by the Malinauskas Government to embed civics as a compulsory component of the high school curriculum and to invest in participatory learning experiences for students such as the SA Schools Convention.
The From Classroom to Community Report also sets a more ambitious expectation about the types of investment needed to ensure that everyone in our community – particularly those whose voices have been silenced or ignored – are actively involved in the doing of democracy, as well as learning about our institutions and processes.
There’s a trove of local knowledge about how we could meet this expectation. Less than a decade ago, South Australia captured international attention for its trials of democratic innovations that included citizens’ juries and participatory budgeting.
It’s time to work together to activate citizen agency to participate in democratic decision-making about the issues that impact their lives.
Associate Professor Dr Sarah Moulds works at the Justice & Society Unit, University of South Australia and Matthew Ryan is a PhD Researcher at the Justice & Society. Helen Connolly is the Commissioner for Children and Young People.
