Dear Mr Murphy

Thank you for your letter of 22 November 2010 concerning a petition on secularism in Australian schools and the learning resource, Learning from One Another: Bringing Muslim Perspectives into Australian Schools. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Whilst the Australian Government plays a leadership role and provides funding for areas of national educational importance, such as the development of the Australian Curriculum, it does not play a role in determining the educational programs delivered in schools or the resources used in their delivery. These decisions are matters for state and territory government and non-government education authorities and, in many instances, are made at the school level.

The development of the Australian Curriculum is being guided by the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians which was agreed to by all Australian education ministers and released in December 2008. The Declaration includes a commitment by all governments to support young Australians to become active and informed citizens, who appreciate Australia’s social, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity. The Declaration is available at www.mceecdya.edu.au.

Thank you for bringing the petition to my attention.

from the Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Mr Garrett