Teachers told to be impartial over Indigenous voice

Australia’s top education official has warned teachers against ‘politicising’ the referendum for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

NT senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Picture: Getty Images

Australia’s top education official has warned teachers against “politicising’’ the referendum for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

Federal Education Department secretary Dr Michele Bruniges said she was concerned about the political nature of lessons about the voice.

“Our classrooms should be free of any political interference,’’ she told a senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday.

Dr Bruniges – a former teacher who has also run the NSW and ACT departments of education, and is set to retire next month – said she would raise the matter at her next meeting with state and territory education officials.

She called for a “balanced discussion and debate’’ over the voice in classrooms, but said the states and territories were responsible for accrediting teachers and supervising the curriculum.

Aboriginal Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price asked Dr Bruniges if she was concerned about an article in The Australian revealing that some schools were instructing students to memorise the Uluru Statement from the Heart, welcoming voice advocates to speak in assemblies and working the referendum into classroom lessons.

Senator Price – who leads the Fair Australia campaign opposing the voice – said parents had contacted her to complain about “indoctrination’’ of students.

She said students needed to be “taught both sides of the coin’’.

“The grave concern that (families) have is that despite children struggling to learn the expected skill sets in literacy and numeracy, and with Australia’s learning standards declining amongst OECD countries, that time is being spent in classrooms basically teaching the government’s agenda around the voice,’’ she said.

“Many families around the country have reached out to me personally.

“Are you concerned about the political nature?’’

Dr Bruniges replied, “Of course’’. “We would hope that classrooms are free of any political persuasion,’’ she said.

“We would be concerned and I’m more than happy to raise it at our next officers’ meeting.’’

The opposition’s new education spokeswoman, Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, said she hoped that “a balanced discussion occurs in classrooms’’.

“Isn’t it also of deep concern parents have not been consulted in this matter?’’ she said.

“Surely this is indoctrination, not education?

“What action can be taken in terms of the imbalanced and biased teaching in the classroom?’’

Dr Bruniges said state and territory education departments could instruct teachers to stay impartial.

“Speaking of my past experience of being director general in NSW and the ACT, when there was an issue of concern what we would do was put out a memorandum to teachers drawing the issue to their attention and reinforcing the intention of the curriculum,’’ she said.

“If there were gross things that breached a code of conduct it becomes part of teacher performance … if a teacher has stepped over the line … it is normally followed up by employer performance and conduct areas.’’

Assistant Education Minister Anthony Chisholm told the hearing Senator Henderson was picking a “fake fight’’ over the voice.

“It’s really up to the states to decide what they do with the curriculum in their jurisdictions,’’ he said. “That’s been a longstanding process.’’

Senator Chisholm said Education Minister Jason Clare was focused on helping First Nations students.

“We have a substantial job to improve education standards across the country and particularly for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Australians, that is absolutely what he is focused (on),’’ she said.

Senator Chisholm said that all premiers – including the Liberal leaders in NSW and Tasmania – supported the voice.

But Senator Henderson said this was “not relevant’’.