Pyne believes that the current curriculum is biased (read - doesn't fully follow my right-wing ideology) and there needs to be a shift to wards more teaching about Anzac day and the great legacy of western nations (read - all the positives and none of the balance).
In order to ensure 'independence' Pyne has established an inquiry led by two people - former high school teacher and former chief of staff (to Kevin Andrews) Kevin Donnelly, and Kenneth Wiltshire from the business faculty of the University of Queensland. Hardly the most qualified of choices in conducting and independent and far-reaching review of school curriculum.
In 2010 following the Federal Election, Wiltshire wrote an opinion piece for The Australian newspaper where he selectively quoted Edmund Burke, the Seventeenth Century British statesman.The piece called for the remaining independents to side with the Coalition. The piece has been criticized for its apparent intellectual dishonesty. Wiltshire is also a staunch critic of the current system.
Kevin Donnelly is a frequent contributor to the ABC's Drum and he can likely be relied upon, as a Liberal insider, to deliver only what Christopher Pyne wants to hear. In fact he hit the ground running with an interview with the ABC in which he expressed the opinion that more religion needed to be taught in schools.
The preamble begins like this:
Whereas the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and under the Constitution hereby established:
And whereas it is expedient to provide for the admission into the Commonwealth of other Australasian Colonies and possessions of the Queen:
Be it therefore enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
It acknowledges a belief in God by the signatories to the constitution in 1900, but it is not about God and it does not state that the teaching of religion is a central responsibility of the nation. It actually gives far greater prominence to the monarchy and the British parliament. Is that also to be central to Kevin Donnelly's curriculum?
The truth of Donnelly's statement is that he wants to ensure that Christian teachings remain central in what is supposed to be a secular education system. It won't be much of an inquiry as it seems at least half the investigative team has strong, pre-conceived ideas about the findings and subsequent recommendations. And the other half of the team has form in relation to backing the Coalition position.
Pyne supports this shift toward a greater level of embedded Christian education in our curriculum. And Abbott likely does too.
This is hardly governing on behalf of the nation. In the 2011 census, 61.1% identified as Christian (down from 73% in 1986). 31.7% stated no religion (up from 25% in 1986). The rest were made up of Buddhists (2.5%), Hindus (1.3%), Islamic people (2.2%), Jewish (0.5%), and Jedi (0.3%). I assume the Jedi syllabus will need to be written by George Lucas. That should be interesting.
If the new curriculum is representative of the beliefs of all Australians... it will be a strange syllabus, to the point of being completely unworkable.
Surely it would be best to leave religious education to families and the 'church' they follow.
It also seems the Kevin Donnelly was employed by Big Tobacco. Maybe 'Smokes in Schools' will help his former employers maintain their market share as older smokers drop off the twig and stop buying their product.
Here's hoping this coming week sees growing outrage and another backflip on yet more of the Coalition's poorly thought out policy.