“The Australian Government... will investigate... a decline in the quality of the content and rigour in the teaching of geography in our schools,” Julie Bishop. (June 18, 2007)

    The good news is that another review, this time instigated by the Prime Minister John Howard's disquiet on the content of secondary school courses labelled geography, "I believe geography is geography, not place and space," will be done on the cheap.

Exactly what Mr Howard meant has been clarified today with a media release from the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop.

“The Australian Government has committed funding of $45,000 for this important study, which will investigate why there has been a decline in the quality of the content and rigour in the teaching of geography in our schools,” Minister Bishop said.

“The Institute of Australian Geographers and the Australian Geography Teachers Association have raised concerns with me that too little geography is being taught in schools, and that in some cases, environmental and political studies are masquerading as geography.

“Parents have also raised concerns about the lack of rigour in the teaching of geography.

“Geographers and geography teachers have also raised these concerns with the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee Inquiry into the Academic Standards of School Education.

“The teaching of geography is vital to link students with society, culture and the physical environment at the local, national and global level.”

The matters to be evaluated by Erebus International for Ms Bishop are listed as:

• outline the current geography curriculum in each State and Territory from Years 3-10, where it is located within the curriculum and the number of hours mandated (where applicable);

• discuss current practice in the teaching of geography in Australian schools and factors which affect the current quality of teaching and learning of geography;

• investigate the fundamentals that every Australian student should know in the subject before they complete Year 10.

"[The report] is due for completion by early August 2007. It will provide further evidence to support the Australian Government’s push for higher standards in our schools," Minister Bishop said; which, on past performances, would seem to be code for, "Straighten up and fly right on our terms or it'll cost ya, ...mate."