Edgar, Bill: Where’s the 19th century in the National History Curriculum?

Bill Edgar

‘The Australian National History Curriculum: A note of concern: whither the 19th century?‘ Honest History, 16 December 2016

We have received the attached brief document from Dr Bill Edgar of Perth. He asks:

Have the “movers and shakers” within the National History Curriculum lost the plot? Whither the necessary content to engender in the coming generations of Australian students and citizens, a strong, mature sense of our unique national identity?

We would be interested to hear from history teachers and others on the subjects Dr Edgar raises:

• Is he correct in his description of the curriculum?
• Is he right to be concerned?
• What would you do?

Bill Edgar has a PhD in Australian history, has been a teacher, archivist, curator and historian and has written more than a dozen books, mostly in social history but including three books on military history.

The author’s complete Murdoch University PhD thesis The Convict Era in Western Australia: Its Economic, Social and Political Consequences is accessible here. An article of his (on the Lalors of Eureka and the Great War) is here. Another article on convicts in WA is here.