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The information presented thus far in this chapter clearly demonstrates a connection between
ideology and curriculum, in accordance with how it is established and then maintained. It is
therefore a falsity to indicate that any curriculum is (or even, can be) neutral. Furthermore, as
Apple claims, assertions that have been made in terms of the construction of curriculum
content has, and in many cases still does, promote an “....underlying position was apolitical
and bore no relationship to how power and resources were distributed in society” (2004, p.
16). In an Australian schooling context, this ‘common sense’, sometimes articulated as a
‘back to basics’ approach has filtered into curriculum debates, especially by supporters of a
national curriculum. Former Prime Minister, John Howard was one such proponent of an
ideological neutral, ‘common sense’ approach to History teaching, as expressed in his 2006
Australia Day address:
Quite apart from a strong focus on Australian values, I believe the time has also
come for root and branch renewal of the teaching of Australian history in our
schools…Too often history has fallen victim in an ever more crowded curriculum to
subjects deemed more ‘relevant’ to today…too often, history, along with other
subjects in the humanities, has succumbed to a postmodern culture of relativism
where any objective record of achievement is questioned or repudiated.
…
Part of preparing young Australians to be informed and active citizens is to
teach them the central currents of our nation’s development…In the end, young
people are at risk of being disinherited from their community if that community lacks
the courage and confidence to teach its history. (Howard, 2006, n.p., emphasis
added)
Language used by Howard throughout his prime ministership draws on discourses of
common sense, an attempt to enunciate a common culture amongst Australians, arguably as a
way to stifle or limit debate on topics, particularly those connected in some way with the
contestation of Australia’s past history. This is pointed out, for example, in Luke’s (1997)
analysis of the speech made by Howard at The Australian Reconciliation Convention in 1997.
Promoting common (and generally, base level) Australian citizenship values based on
national history remained a frequent topic for Howard as seen in the following extract from
Hansard of 1996 discussing bi-partisan support for a parliamentary racial tolerance statement:
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