Parliamentary Review of
ANZAC Day Laws
Chapter 8 – Education

Troopship leaving Port Phillip Bay (AWM 000304/01)

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The Committee received overwhelming endorsement for the need to develop appropriate strategies to ensure that school children are educated about ANZAC Day and the ANZAC spirit. It is also apparent that the level of the community interest in ANZAC Day is sufficiently substantial as to justify education or information initiatives to cater for an increasing interest of Victorians in ANZAC Day.

The general community interest in ANZAC Day is reflected in the submission of the RSL (National Headquarters) which remarked:

"While not matters for legislation, we would encourage Governments to promote the involvement of all Australians, especially young people in ANZAC Day ceremonies."[80]

If ANZAC Day is to be accorded the significance it deserves, the contribution of the Education sector will be highly important. Already, there is a considerable contribution made to ensuring that our children are appropriately versed in the ANZAC spirit. The Victorian Department of Education and Training has developed a range of teaching and learning activities relating to ANZAC Day, covering students at early years and middle years[81].

Outstanding educative material, including teaching kits have also been developed by the Australian War Memorial and the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Further, the delivery of some education programs is undertaken in partnership with the RSL and with current servicemen and servicewomen. The Committee considers that these programs can be enhanced by more extensive education activities, such as excursions to the Australian War Memorial, to the Shrine of Remembrance and even select trips to Gallipoli or the Somme.

The Shrine of Remembrance appears to have particular scope for the advancement of education about ANZAC Day. In this regard, while the Shrine is not the only war memorial in Victoria, it is undoubtedly the most recognised and the most visited. The Trustees of the Shrine assert that there is a pivotal role for the Shrine of Remembrance "in sustaining the ANZAC spirit in current generations and engendering it in future generations."[82]

An overview of visits to the Shrine, including visits by school students, is demonstrated in the following table:[83]

The Trustees of the Shrine consider that the Shrine, given its place in Victoria’s history and the values it reflects, is capable of providing ongoing and valuable educational and information resources to the community. The Shrine submitted that:

"Nearly 13,000 school children visit the Shrine each year as part of a school excursion. At present, the Shrine has a limited capacity to link with the current curriculum and to provide access to information for children beyond the metropolitan area.

The significant task is ensuring that the Shrine retains its relevance with the community and the contribution the Shrine can make to maintaining and building the ANZAC spirit. The current and future role identified for the Shrine has significant funding and resource implications for the Shrine and the Trustees."[84]

As the numbers of veterans diminishes, the way in which ANZAC Day retains its significance for future generations relies substantially on the education sector. Being observed on 25 April each year means that ANZAC Day generally falls within school terms (by contrast, a difficulty experienced in gaining recognition for the importance of Australia Day is the fact that each year it falls during the summer school holidays and schools do not have the opportunity to develop meaningful programs in advance of the actual day).

The Committee commends the efforts of the education sector, the ex-service community and the Shrine of Remembrance to facilitate the important facet of education about ANZAC Day and the ANZAC spirit.

The Committee strongly endorses the development of, and investment in, education initiatives. To this end a number of the recommendations of this Report are steeped in the objective of developing and resourcing education initiatives[85].

The Discussion Paper drew attention to the possibility of a compulsory curriculum obligation to educate school children about ANZAC Day and the ANZAC spirit. This was prompted by an approach taken by the State of Washington in the United States of America, where "Veterans Day" is observed on November 11. Veterans Day is the day observed in the USA most equivalent to Anzac Day. In the State of Washington, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) provides the laws of the State. RCW 28A.230.160 is a law that requires activities in schools in the week before Veterans Day, in order to educate the children. The particular law requires that 60 minutes of the week before Veterans Day must be set aside for the education of children about the issues of Veterans Day.

The notion of a compulsory curriculum attracted some interest. For example, the Victorian Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia submitted that it:

"wholeheartedly supports the view expressed in the Discussion Paper relating to compulsory school curriculum inclusion of ANZAC Day commemoration. There is also strong support for the enhancement of this educative process through visitations by school groups to the Shrine of Remembrance, local cenotaphs, and the like."[86]

Further, the RSL (Victorian Branch) submitted that:

"The need to educate children as to matters relating to ANZAC Day is an important matter. The RSL is in favour of an arrangement of a compulsory curriculum that should be of at least a 60-minute duration during the week prior to ANZAC Day. Some of the costs for providing the material for the compulsory criteria component could be paid from the ANZAC Day Proceeds Fund together with a further contribution from the Community Support Fund collected pursuant to the provisions of the Gaming Machine Control Act."[87]

Currently no compulsory curriculum legislative requirement exists in Victoria. Clearly, the issue is one worthy of consideration. However, the notion of a compulsory curriculum in respect of any field is never undertaken lightly, and, at this time the concept in respect of ANZAC Day has not been fully developed.

Accordingly, at this time, the Committee does not consider that it should recommend legislation in respect of a compulsory curriculum for education on ANZAC Day. However, the Committee expects that the proposed ANZAC Day Education and Commemoration Committee will closely monitor the education processes in respect of ANZAC Day and the ANZAC spirit, and may at an appropriate time, assess and recommend in relation to an improved compulsory curriculum requirement.

In accordance with its terms of reference, the Committee has made a number of recommendations in this report in the interests of enhancing the significance of ANZAC Day as a national day of commemoration.

The recommendations are not necessarily stand alone in terms of implementation. For example, an implementation measure not specific to the precise terms of a particular recommendation may be to ensure that all Local Councils are advised well ahead of each ANZAC Day what the precise trading arrangements are. This advice may vary from year to year depending on whether ANZAC Day falls on a weekday or weekend. Councils would be expected to advise their local business groups well in advance of the day, thus reducing the incidence of any confusion.

The recommendations of this Report have been made after a comprehensive review process including the public release of a Discussion Paper, the receipt of submissions and the taking of evidence. The recommendations reflect the Committee’s apprehension of the principles and values that underpin ANZAC Day and the ANZAC spirit. They also reflect the Committee’s conceptual appreciation of the legislative scheme that should support those principles and values.

To a considerable extent those principles and values have been nurtured and fostered by the ex-service community, and supported by other interested bodies. Accordingly, it is not only prudent, but also right, that the ex-service community and other interested bodies should be further consulted with respect to issues relating to the implementation of the recommendations of this Report. In light of the Committee’s recommendation that ministerial responsibility for ANZAC Day legislation should be assumed by the Premier, it is appropriate that such consultation be undertaken by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee Last Updated 19/11/2002 ©Parliament of Victoria