Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The state Labor government—that's who was dying! He held that position right through the dying days of the inept state Labor government and held a poor party to account for its mismanagement. He is doing a fine job as minister, and I commend him for that and for his genuine care and concern for the education of today's children—surely our greatest resource.

The state government said on 9 August it would postpone implementation of the national curriculum for 12 months because of the federal Labor government's failure to provide teacher development funding and questions about its quality. That quality is gravely concerning. One hopes a national curriculum is not used as a vehicle for Labor to push its propaganda. Disturbingly, according to a 13 March report in the Daily Telegraph:

PRIMARY school children are being terrified by lessons claiming climate change will bring "death, injury and destruction" to the world unless they take action.

On the eve of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's carbon tax package announcement, psychologists and scientists said the lessons were alarmist, created unneeded anxiety among school children and endangered their mental health.

Climate change as a "Doomsday scenario" is being taught in classrooms across Australia. Resource material produced by the Gillard government for primary school teachers and students states climate change will cause "devastating disasters".

…   …   …

Australian National University's Centre for the Public Awareness of Science director Dr Sue Stocklmayer said climate change had been portrayed as "Doomsday scenarios with no way out".

Dr Stocklmayer said she was not a climate-change sceptic but worried that "too much time was spent presenting scary scenarios, especially to young people".

"(Children) feel incredibly despondent and helpless in the face of all this negative information," she said. "To put all of this before our children … is one of the most appalling things we can do …

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