Democracy can’t be scrolled but should be promptly taught in our schools

Democracy, Winston Churchill once said, “is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”. He did not need to explain what he meant. Churchill’s 1947 audience had lived through World War II and seen much of Europe succumb to totalitarian tyrannies of the far right or far left. Disturbingly, however, Churchill’s point might now be lost on many Australians, who seem increasingly oblivious to the difference democracy makes.

The rise in antisemitism, the decline of social cohesion, the understanding of rights and respect for religious diversity and the surrender of critical independence to social media is a blend of past and present that has created a torpor about society’s workings that even affects young Australians.

Results from the latest round of testing show 60 per cent of NSW year 10 students failed civics and citizenship tests, the worst result on record. It is deeply concerning in the country that devised the secret ballot and where democratic institutions are prized that so many of our young know little about our system of government. The Herald’s education editor Lucy Carroll reports that for more than two decades the state’s school syllabus has not mandated compulsory civics education.

A 1988 constitutional commission report indicated that half the population was unaware of our Constitution. Past surveys have shown that only 40 per cent of Australians over 15 could name the two houses of Parliament and that less than a third aged 18 to 24 could name the governor-general.

Governments have fitfully attempted to redress the situation. In 2004, the Howard government announced a $17.5 million program, “Defining Democracy”, for years 4 to 10 students. A continuation of a Labor government initiative, it covered parliaments, the law, the Constitution, Federation, the notion of citizenship and notable Australians. But it withered.

Now the federal parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters latest inquiry has called for mandatory civics lessons for students in years 11 and 12. Students in years 9 and 10 should study civics for a minimum of 10 hours a year and a national civics and citizenship curriculum should be introduced. Under a suite of reforms to the state’s curriculum, NSW has committed to mandatory civics education from 2027, woven into human society and its environment syllabus.

Many young people face misinformation, social media manipulation and declining public interest journalism and leave school without the knowledge and skills necessary to actively participate in Australian democracy, engage with civic practices and institutions, or understand basic processes like how to enrol to vote and cast a ballot correctly.

Sharing a core of such values and ideals and comprehending the nuts and bolts of the major institutions on which our liberty ultimately depends, can only strengthen individual rights as well as help young people negotiate social media’s minefield of misinformation.

NSW should seize this opportunity to lead the nation and accelerate the implementation of mandatory civics education without delay.

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