Tuesday, 19 March 2024

 Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (18:28): (784) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Education, and my ask is that he commits to expanding history curriculums across the schooling system to reflect the diverse histories of the people of this state. I was prompted to put this matter to the government by a young constituent George Khoshaba. He is 18 years old and was born in Australia to an Assyrian father who fled Iraq as a refugee in the late 1980s during Saddam Hussein’s rule. George has met many other Assyrian people at his school whose families faced similar instability in their home countries due to war and terrorism and who have come to Australia in search of a safer life. Over the years George has learned about the persecution, displacement and genocide of the Assyrian people and the struggles they continue to face for recognition. George tells me that he was extremely disappointed during high school as none of his classes ever mentioned the plight of the Assyrian people. This is despite the estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people of Assyrian heritage currently living in Australia and all the Assyrian students at his school.

George is not the only young person in this state who has felt alienated by the school curriculum. Victoria is an incredibly diverse state, and our multiculturalism makes us strong. People from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the material being brought into their classrooms. They should be able to learn about histories and cultures that are representative of the diversity of our state. The Greens have long been calling for more First Nations cultural education, including languages, in the Victorian school curriculum. Following the Voice referendum, and with the divisive voices threatening the state’s treaty process, this is more important than ever. Minister, the teaching of more diverse histories and cultures would bring students closer together. When students of all backgrounds feel seen in the classroom it makes for a more cohesive, inclusive and supportive learning environment, and ultimately when students graduate it makes for a more understanding and accepting society more broadly. So, Minister, my ask is that you broaden the teaching of histories and cultures in our school curriculums so that it is inclusive of multiple peoples and reflects First Nations cultures more prominently.