The recent federal election was the first time many young people voted but they may have been ill-equipped for the task. Recent civics exams highlighted that students don't have a comprehensive knowledge of national institutions and political systems. Research shows younger Australians are exposed to misinformation, as they rely on social and electronic media for information. But there is now an effort to provide them with media literacy, through the national curriculum.
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00:00Welcome everybody to the Museum of Australian Democracy here at Old Parliament House.
00:12Can I get you to sit on the airy seat?
00:14It's a rite of passage for generations of young Australians.
00:17What are we noticing in this space?
00:19The school trip to Parliament House and the nation's capital to learn about democracy
00:24and national institutions first hand.
00:27A politician is probably a possible job for me. I would like to do that.
00:32So we might be running together in a few years time.
00:34Or against each other.
00:37There's a yearning to understand more about our history of why we have the democracy we do,
00:41how they can participate.
00:43But experts are worried traditional approaches to engaging kids in civics are no longer cutting through.
00:49Recent national tests showed just 28% of Year 10 students
00:53and only 43% of Year 6 learners are proficient in civics,
00:58the lowest levels since testing began two decades ago.
01:04It has had a more steep decline.
01:06That should be something that we all take really seriously.
01:08We need our children to, you know, really understand those democratic values on which this country is built.
01:15They can't or won't connect with the views of the younger generation.
01:21Misinformation needs...
01:22At Ambervale High on Sydney's south-western outskirts,
01:26they try to engage students in civics with real-world examples.
01:30The future voters like...
01:31But teacher Jo Novak says students feel ignored by mainstream politics.
01:36They do feel that then their voice is not heard
01:39and they do really question whether the political parties are taking their views on board.
01:45There are warnings that the impacts of Australia's poor performance in civics education
01:49extend well beyond the classroom.
01:53Australia's Governor-General Sam Mostyn
01:55is among those who believe it has implications for the future of democracy itself,
02:00especially when paired with the threat of misinformation online.
02:04I think misinformation and disinformation is the great scourge of our time.
02:09In the recent election, misinformation flooded social media channels
02:13where budding voters got their information.
02:17What's a leading question?
02:19Now Australia's National Curriculum Authority has announced
02:22it'll launch a specific media literacy module
02:25to help teens sort fact from fiction.
02:28If you only have one camera running...
02:29It'll be woven into different subjects
02:31and it's part of Australia's first national media literacy strategy,
02:36announced in December.
02:38We need them to be able to sort those things through
02:41and look at the evidence.
02:43And even though it is truthful, you're making it.
02:46At Brisbane State High School, they've been early adopters of media literacy.
02:51Today, teacher Amy Gust is guiding students through the process of making news.
02:56And he creates a documentary that says,
02:59the school's terrible, but you didn't sign up for that.
03:03Students learn to analyse media and decide whether it's misinformation or not,
03:08and how to create their own media content safely
03:11in a lesson much like those that'll be rolled out nationally.
03:15Building the skills within a student to look at something and go,
03:17can I trust that?
03:19Or, hmm, what question should I ask first?
03:23Or, who made that?
03:25And what vested interest do they have in it?
03:29There's homework for parents too.
03:31The National Curriculum Authority says it's also up to them
03:34to talk with their children about civics.
03:37And these budding voters say the key to government engaging them
03:41is to take them more seriously.
03:43We're really invested in how the government's going to handle our future
03:47because it's going to impact us the most.
03:49And they need to understand that we're not just here
03:51for all of the silly little videos and edits.
03:53We want to understand what's happening in our country.
03:56Room for improvement at home, at school and at election time.