In Australia, primary and secondary education is managed by individual states and territories, meaning there is no single system of education. However, policies and regulations between these territories are broadly similar, with schooling years commencing at age 5 or 6 with a minimum leaving age of 16. Until recent years there was no common school curriculum across the country, leading to growing concerns about the difficulties that differing curricula posed for students moving between jurisdictions, the costs of each jurisdiction developing its own material, and the need to revise curricula to reflect national agreements about educational priorities. As a result, 2008 saw the formation of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, a body responsible for overseeing the implementation, development and maintenance of a ‘national’ curriculum that offers world-class education for all young Australians.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Perspectives

Historically, the cultures and perspectives of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been abandoned and ignored by Australian education systems. Indigenous educator Mark Rose has referred to this as a ‘silent apartheid’ that ‘transcends generations,’ because of discrimination on the basis of race and an education system that has ‘overtly suppressed and devalued aspects of Indigenous knowledge.’ Despite the fact that Aboriginal education is one of the most ancient forms of structured learning (much older than Plato, or Confucius), it was massively disrupted by colonialism from which it has never really recovered. While the implementation of a national Australian Curriculum has made attempts to establish indigenous perspectives, cultures, and histories as a core part of Australian education, and rates of participation among Aboriginal students in current education systems have improved significantly, their achievement levels still lag well behind the national average, showing that further investment is needed in the decolonisation of Australia’s standardised education system.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Early Childhood Education

In 2008, Australia joined other countries in a global effort to promote equal and active participation of all people with disabilities, with the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The creation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in 2013 has overseen a restructuring of the disability support system in Australia, placing an emphasis on early childhood intervention services that may reduce the need for longer term assistance. Teachers play a key role in early childhood intervention (ECI), provide young children who have disabilities with experiences and opportunities that help the children gain, and use, the functional skills they need to participate and engage meaningfully in inclusive environments. Key challenges currently include long waiting lists for services, a lack of funding, and families facing difficulties finding out about and accessing the services they need.