Conservatives need to get involved in the culture wars and push back against the critical race and gender theories being taught to children in the classroom, said Bella Dabrella of the Institute for Public Affairs (IPA).
In a speech to CPAC Australia, Dabrella said Australians should learn from the recent Virginia election and take action to push back against the radical ideologies taught in schools.
“We want to make education in Australia great again,” she said on 2 October. That’s why we have to fight. ”
Dabrella said parents should not be surprised that the younger generation are ashamed of Australia given what is repeatedly taught in schools.
“Kids are impressed. If you tell them over and over again that this country is wicked, they’ll start believing you,” she said.
A poll commissioned by the IPA found that 32% of 18- to 24-year-olds would stay and fight if Australia were on the same page as Ukraine, while 40% would leave the country.
“If [Prime Minister] Albanese and his [government] They were really interested in what he called fair history…they stopped omitting and lying and started teaching children some positive aspects of Australian history. she said.
“Explain how, when the first settlers came to Australia, they brought with them the ethics of Christianity, especially the notions of sovereignty and accountability—personal accountability.”
D’Abrera, director of the IPA’s Foundations of Western Civilization program, said the entire history should be taught, not just selected pieces.
“No one says it should be ignored or covered up, but letting children’s minds focus entirely on past mistakes is detrimental to their development and to the future development of this country. she said.
A Radical Ideology That Drives Children to Activism
In Victoria, the Respectful Relationships Program teaches 4-year-olds to think about their gender identity and challenge gender norms.
“They’re getting full-blown radical gender theory. They’re saying that gender is a social construct,” Dabrella said.
“They hate men. They hate families. They hate family structures. They want the state to control their children.”
“And at the moment, the state controls the children.”
As a result of the radical agenda, young Australians are ‘prematurely propelled’ into the world of activism without full knowledge of the issues at hand and the basic skills to ‘save the world’. I’m here.
“And when I say basic skills, they haven’t been taught how to read, write, and add. They haven’t been taught the basics,” Dabrella said.
She called on conservatives to get involved in pushing back ideology in the classroom and refocusing on teaching literacy and numeracy.
“It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get into the culture wars. The Conservative Party has been locked up for too long,” Dabrella said. “When everyone says, ‘Yeah, it’s a problem,’ everyone walks away, and the problem gets worse.”
EDUCATION SYSTEM Failed children
Despite a 38% increase in education funding over the past decade since the turn of the century, Australia’s education standards have fallen precipitously “in absolute terms and relative to other countries,” said Allan in 2021. Former Education Minister Tadge said:
In the early 2000s, Australia was ranked 4th in reading, 8th in science and 11th in mathematics internationally. However, by 2018, these rankings had fallen to 16th, 17th, and 29th respectively.
“We are opening up the future for the illiterate,” Dabrella said.
According to a recent interim report published in September by the Productivity Commission, between 5% and 9% of Australians fall short of the minimum standards for literacy and numeracy each year.
Note that many students struggling to keep up fall outside the ‘Preferred Equity Cohort’. Live in rural, rural and remote areas. have a disability; or come from an educationally disadvantaged background.
“While students in preferred equity cohorts are disproportionately represented among students who fall below national minimum standards, most underperforming students do not belong to these cohorts,” the report said. says.
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Rebecca Zhu is based in Sydney. She focuses on the national politics of Australia and New Zealand. Any tips? Please contact her at [email protected].