Australian secondary schools could be required to teach civics and citizenship in Years 9 and 10 under a proposed curriculum change to address declining student proficiency.
Federal, state and territory education ministers have agreed to seek advice on making civics and citizenship a core curriculum requirement. Lessons would cover Australia’s Constitution, parliamentary processes, legal system and citizens’ rights and responsibilities.
The proposal follows the latest national assessment results, which found that fewer than one in three Year 10 students showed a proficient understanding of civics and citizenship.
Civics proficiency falls to lowest level on record
According to the National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship, only 28% of Year 10 students met the proficient standard in 2024—the lowest result since testing began in 2004.
The findings have renewed attention on how civics education is delivered in Australian schools and whether students are developing sufficient knowledge of the country’s democratic institutions. Previous concerns have highlighted how civics lessons compete for time in crowded school timetables, potentially limiting students’ exposure to democratic concepts.
Democracy Counts director Tom Mooney said this understanding was becoming increasingly important as young people encountered more political information online.
“Young people today have more information than ever available to them to shape their view of how the world works, and how decisions are made. This can be a good thing, but we need to give them the chance to assess what they read online against a solid foundational knowledge of how Australia’s democracy works,” Mooney said.
The proposed changes also come amid broader concerns about Australians’ confidence in democratic institutions.
The latest McKinnon Index found that 76.4% of Australians considered democracy preferable to other forms of government. However, only 50.7% were satisfied with how democracy was functioning.
Teacher preparation emerges as key consideration
While civics and citizenship already forms part of the Australian Curriculum, making it compulsory in Years 9 and 10 would require schools to review how the subject fits into existing teaching programs.
The proposed changes would also place greater attention on teachers’ capacity to deliver lessons covering democratic processes, political institutions and the evaluation of information.
“Key considerations will be ensuring teachers have the time, training and support to teach civics and citizenship, including pre-service teacher education and through ongoing professional development,” Mooney said.
Beyond understanding how Australia’s democracy operates, the proposed curriculum would also need to address students’ ability to navigate political information in an increasingly digital environment.
How these expectations will translate into classroom teaching remains to be determined. Under the education ministers’ agreement, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) will consider existing curriculum demands and teacher workload when advising on the proposed changes.
The final curriculum requirements and implementation timeline have yet to be confirmed.