Introduction
The Australian Curriculum sets the expectations for what all young Australians should be taught, regardless of where they live in Australia or their background. ACARA draws on the best national talent and expertise, and consults widely to develop the Australian Curriculum and resources.
Education plays a critical role in shaping the lives of young Australians and contributing to a democratic, equitable and just society that is prosperous, cohesive and culturally diverse.
The rationale for the introduction of the Australian Curriculum centres on improving the quality, equity and transparency of Australia’s education system.
- Quality – an Australian Curriculum will contribute to the provision of a world-class education in Australia by setting out the knowledge, understanding and skills needed for life and work in the 21st century and by setting high standards of achievement across the country.
- Equity – an Australian Curriculum will provide a clear, shared understanding of what young people should be taught and the quality of learning expected of them, regardless of their circumstances, the type of school that they attend or the location of their school.
The commitment to develop a national curriculum reflects a willingness to work together, across geographical and school-sector boundaries, to provide a world-class education for all young Australians. Working nationally makes it possible to harness collective expertise and effort in the pursuit of this common goal. It also offers the potential of economies of scale and a substantial reduction in the duplication of time, effort and resources.
The Australian Curriculum is made up of 8 learning areas. These learning areas are English; Mathematics; SCience; Humanities and Social Sciences; The Arts; Technologies; Health and Physical Education as well as Languages. For more information on these learning areas please click here.
ACARA has also published the Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, which is an optional subject.
Work Studies
The Australian Curriculum: Work Studies Years 9–10 delivers a school-based subject that provides opportunities for students to undertake vocational learning and develop work-readiness skills in preparation for further study towards a skilled occupation or further education after leaving school. This elective curriculum will be available for students in Years 9 or 10 (one-year subject), or across Years 9–10 (two-year subject). The curriculum will also focus on further strengthening the general capabilities of the Australian Curriculum, and includes features such as applied learning and work exposure.
General capabilities comprise one of the three dimensions of the Australian Curriculum. They encompass knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, assist students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century. They play a significant role in realising the goals set out in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA) 2008 that all young people in Australia should be supported to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.
The Australian Curriculum includes seven general capabilities. These are:
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Information and communication technology capability
- Critical and creative thinking
- Personal and social capability
- Ethical understanding
- Intercultural understanding.
In the Australian Curriculum, general capabilities are addressed through the learning areas and are identified wherever they are developed or applied in content descriptions. They are also identified where they offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations.
For further information on the general capabilities and to access learning continua, click here.
The Australian Curriculum gives special attention to three cross-curriculum priorities:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
- Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
- Sustainability
The cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in the curriculum and will have a strong but varying presence depending on their relevance to each of the learning areas.
Change to the key elements of the curriculum (rationale, aims, content descriptions or achievement standards) will be recorded with a change to the version number before the point, e.g., from 2.n to 3.n. Updates to the curriculum such as additional information or editorial changes, will be noted by a change to the number after the point. The appropriate version number will also be visible on any documents downloaded and printed from the Australian Curriculum website.
| Version | Release Date | Release Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8.3 | 14/12/2016 |
|
| 8.2 | 30/06/2016 |
|
| 8.1 | 16/12/2015 |
|
| 8.0 | 18/10/2015 |
|
| 7.5 | 21/5/2015 |
|
| 7.4 | 31/3/2015 |
|
| 7.3 | 5/1/2015 |
|
| 7.2 | 8/10/2014 |
|
| 7.1 | 25/8/2014 |
|
| 7.0 | 21/7/2014 |
|
| 6.0 | 18/2/2014 |
|
| 5.2 | 16/12/2013 |
|
| 5.1 | 05/08/2013 |
|
| 5.0 | 20/05/2013 |
|
| 4.2 | 13/03/2013 |
|
| 4.1 | 31/01/2013 |
|
| 4.0 | 10/12/2012 |
|
| 3.0 | 23/01/2012 |
|
| 2.0 | 17/10/2011 | |
| 1.2 | 08/03/2011 |
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| 1.1 | 13/12/2010 |
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| 1.0 | 08/12/2010 |
|