Humanities gets to the heart of hard questions

The proposed Voice to Parliament – the upcoming referendum giving Constitutional recognition and an official voice to First Nations peoples in the Australian Parliament – makes for a perfect curriculum case study in many Humanities subjects.  

The Head of Humanities Michael Neate says the issue provides valuable learning as there are two sides of the debate to explore and the topic can be examined through multiple lenses and perspectives.

“Due to its currency, the topic hasn’t been officially incorporated in the curriculum or units of study, but it is a valuable and topical case study for various areas of the curriculum,” Mr Neate says.

“Due to its currency, the topic hasn’t been officially incorporated in the curriculum or units of study, but it is a valuable and topical case study for various areas of the curriculum.”

– Head of Humanities, Michael Neate

“In Legal Studies, we’ve looked at a range of perspectives, from various Aboriginal elders to politicians with differing points of view and members of the legal fraternity. We’ve looked at why some are of the view that a Voice would not actually address the underlying issues of disadvantage which First Nations people face, and also the claims by those affirming the necessity of this being part of the Australian Constitution.”

“In Year 11 last year, it was topical during our initial examination of law-making processes and institutions, which includes a comparison of Aboriginal customary laws and contemporary Australian laws and our investigation of the extent to which Aboriginal customary laws have been integrated into Australian law. We also discussed the Prime Minister’s promise in August 2022 to take the Voice to Parliament to a referendum during our discussion of the effectiveness of law reform in achieving justice, with a particular focus on human rights and anti-discrimination laws.”

“In Year 12 Legal Studies, we examine the Uluru Statement from the Heart as we assess the nature of the interrelationship between the legal system and society and evaluate the effectiveness of the law in achieving justice.”

Legal Studies teacher Mrs Penny Austin, who also teaches the IB Diploma subjects Global Politics and Global Studies in the Senior College, says she has structured a series of lessons for her classes that examine a range of supporting and opposing views of Indigenous and non-Indigenous spokespeople on the issue.

“Students have expressed enthusiasm for investigating an issue they have heard about in the news,” Mrs Austin says. “Many have said their knowledge of the complexities of the issue has grown as a result, and they have found looking at a range of perspectives has helped broaden their understanding. Many have come to class eager to share the latest developments, including the proposed wording when it was announced.”

“We’ve watched segments of ABC’s Q&A and read a range of media articles, while also referencing the websites that share details of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.”

While there are a growing number of resources now available on the issue, Mr Neate says it is always important to present both sides of any issue and the differing perspectives in order to give students a platform to discuss and debate it and form their own opinions.

“We have mostly used media articles and documentaries (ABC and SBS) to promote discussion on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice to Parliament,” he says. “Students are really keen to understand the issue, and the thinking and class discussion leads to deeper learning and helps students develop well-informed opinions, backed by the current research available.”

“Many students have said their knowledge of the complexities of the issue has grown as a result, and they have found looking at a range of perspectives has helped broaden their understanding. Many have come to class eager to share the latest developments, including the proposed wording when it was announced.”

– Legal Studies teacher Penny Austin

Other Humanities subjects where the Voice has been discussed are Year 10 History, Year 11 and 12 Society and Culture and Year 9 and 10 Aboriginal Studies.

In Year 10 History, the ‘Rights and Freedoms’ syllabus unit doesn’t currently extend to modern times (it pauses around the Apology in 2008), however, teachers included the Voice in class discussions at the end of the unit last year and are currently planning more structured ways for students to meaningfully engage with the issue at the end of the topic in Term 3.

In Aboriginal Studies, the class has discussed the Voice and shared the implications of a Constitutional change, and also discussed reasons why some Aboriginal MPs do not support it.

In Society and Culture, the Voice was discussed informally as part of the ‘Equality and Inequality’ topic, where Australia’s First Nations people have been selected as the case study. 

“It’s much too new to have been incorporated into syllabus at this stage,” Mr Neate says, “But we can’t miss the opportunity to discuss such an important current issue with students.”