Kevin Donnelly: Ideology in Education

SUMMARY:
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What a cracker of an evening — thanks to the Round Table Forum and Western Heritage Australia for organising! In this talk Kevin Donnelly takes us through his personal journey from a working-class Melbourne upbringing (a Communist father and a Catholic mother) to a career in teaching from the mid‑1970s and into national education policy. Kevin explains why he believes education once aimed to pass on the ‘best that’s been thought and said’ — a liberal, Western civilisational curriculum — and why that ideal has been eroded since the 1970s. He recounts being appointed by Tony Abbott to review the National Curriculum and warns about centralisation and the risks of curricula being ‘captured’. Kevin argues for subsidiarity, celebration of Australia’s patrimony, and honest debate about how we teach history, civics and culture. With his trademark straight‑talking anecdotes (including Bob Santamaria and the Eureka Youth Movement) he invites like‑minded people to engage in what he calls the battle of ideas to safeguard a liberal education for future generations.

RUMBLE DESCRIPTION:
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Massive thanks to the Round Table Forum of Western Heritage Australia for putting tonight together — it was a brilliant night and an important conversation. In this talk I share my story: growing up in Broadmeadows, roughly mid‑1970s when I started teaching, the influence of a Communist dad and a devout Catholic mum, and how those competing forces shaped my early understanding of ideas and politics. I talk about why a liberal education — the teaching of Shakespeare, Chaucer, the Enlightenment, the factory acts and suffragettes — mattered, and why that broad cultural curriculum has been squeezed out since the 1970s.

I explain my concerns about the National Curriculum (a role I was asked to review by then‑Prime Minister Tony Abbott), why centralising control of curriculum is risky, and why subsidiarity matters. I argue we should celebrate our patrimony — the legal and religious traditions that helped create modern Australia — while honestly engaging with history, rather than retreating into a ‘black armband’ view. Expect anecdotes (Bob Santamaria pops up), some straight‑talk on ideological capture, and a call to keep the battle of ideas alive in our schools.

If you value vigorous debate about what we teach our kids, please like, share and subscribe. Leave a comment with your thoughts on curriculum, history teaching or subsidiarity — I’ll read them. Support Western Heritage Australia and come along to their next event. Cheers!

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