Australian Curriculum public consultation open to 8 July 2021 – please respond to highlight Australia and PNG

The Australian Curriculum public consultation is open. Please let our Australian educators know that teaching Australian/PNG history is important.
The public consultation period on proposed revisions to the Australian Curriculum opened on Thursday 29 April for a 10-week window until 8 July.
You can assist by sending in a response, copying your local member and sending a copy to the PNGAA – email: admin@pngaa.net.
It appears that the number of topics for students to study have been reduced in the revised Australian History Curriculum. WW1 is still in year 9 as an expected topic to be studied in depth as is WW2 in year 10. This is good news. Though how much time teachers are expected to spend on teaching these in-depth topics is an unknown.
If you have suggestions, and if you do send in comments, please let PNGAA know via email to admin@pngaa.net – please mark for attention to Andrea Williams
One recommendation that has been submitted includes the following and this may be used as a guide, although please consider what other areas might be included:
YEAR 9 WW1
• Page 52, Elaboration: include in German imperialism/expansion the German colonies, including German New Guinea, on Australia’s doorstep.
• Page 62, Elaboration: include Australia’s military invasion of German New Guinea as a significant place where Australians fought. Whilst not a huge battle it was a strategic victory for Australia as it stopped Germany from using Rabaul, the capital of Germany New Guinea, as a base for their navy ships in the Pacific.
Year 10 WW2
• Page 71, Elaboration: include the Fall of Rabaul as a significant event. It gave Japan a strategic military base on which to attack Port Moresby and isolate/invade Australia.
• Page 71, Elaboration: include the perspectives of civilian internees as well as POWs and their families. Around 350 – 400 Australians became civilian internees after Rabaul fell.
• Page 73, Commemoration: How to remember the loss of lives. Example – commemorating the Australians who died in the New Guinea Islands during WW2 (POWs and civilian internees). See the PNGAA publication ‘When the War Came: New Guinea Islands 1942’ and list of commemorations.
https://www.acara.edu.au/news-and-media/acara-update-archive/acara-update-archive-2021/acara-update-may-2021#2