We invite people to contribute their views, some of which may be controversial and at odds with other viewpoints, on values important to Australians and how they are taught in Australian schools. The columns are an attempt to show that tolerant communities can differ in their opinions but can do so in a civilized manner. This is what we attempt to teach young people as part of the values and citizenship programs.
The opinions which guest columnists present in these columns do not necessarily represent the current policy position of ACSSO.
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Personal choice & personal responsibility: Ken Henry, 10 December 2009
A new progressive consensus for Australian schools: The Hon Julia Gillard MP, 19 June 2009
A Different World: Christine Milne, 17 June 2009
Don't like chicken? There must be something wrong!: Katrina Sharman, 17 June 2009
How fundamentalism fails American science education: Randolph T. Holhut, 5 June 2009
Want world class schools? Its time to agitate!: Brian Caldwell, 29 May 2009
Tertiary Fees & Community Values: Zoe Morrison, 25 May 2009
School is only part of an education for indigenous children: Jude Davies, 23 May 2009
Beyond reading and writing: Kathy Walker, 18 May 2009
Real communities: Hugh Mackay, 14 May 2009
Lets stop brainwashing children: Johann Hari, 8 May 2009
Schools of Conscience: Charles C. Haynes, May 2009
Human Rights-based Values Education Programs: Can Australian schools learn from those of Canada and the UK?: Isabelle Macgregor, 27 April 2009
Fairness and funding: it doesn't add up: Lyndsay Connors & Jim McMorrow, 27 April 2009
Suspending belief: Sheryl Hemphill, 27 April 2009
Amanda Bell: Boris Frankel, 20 April 2009
Creativity and a high regard for the concept of scholarship: Amanda Bell, 3 April 2009
How much inequity should we allow?: Ken Henry, 3 April 2009
Education is no place for a free market: Chris Bonnor, 1 April 2009
A better future starts with indigenous history: Tim Goodwin, 17 March 2009
The five pillars for education reform: Barack Obama, 10 March 2009
League Tables Increase Social Segregation and Inequity: Treveor Cobbold, March 2009
Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best: Fran Smith, 28 February 2009
The central importance of science in education: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 27 February 2009
Summing up a failure in Mathematics teaching: Marty Ross, 23 February 2009
They say they want a revolution: Dean Ashenden, 19 February 2009
A disturbing set of numbers: Nalini Joshi, 18 February 2009
Creationism Left Out of Science Education for Valid Reasons: Richard B Katskee, 10 February 2009
The free-market: bad for the economy but good for schools?: Chris Bonnor, 5 February 2009
New school networks for Australia: Partnerships are a key to improving educational outcomes: Rosalyn Black, 1 February 2009
Education must be about freedom of choice: Scott Prasser, 29 January 2009
Reaffirming our faith in human dignity and worth: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 10 December 2008
Connecting across faiths and cultures to end conflict, division and poverty: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 13 November 2008
Creation versus evolution in the classroom: Paul Williams, 23 September 2008
More Questions Raised About the New York School Reporting Model: Trevor Cobbold, 22 September 2008
Secular schools of thought tainted : Jane Caro, 22 September 2008
No shame in failing: Peter Tapsell, 15 September 2008
Violence in schools is growing: Les Twentyman, 15 September 2008
Why we should teach the Bible in all our schools: Greg Clarke, 11 September 2008
The failure of schools to educate: Tim Hawkes, 8 September 2008
Is Australia Asia smart?: Kathe Kirby, 18 August 2008
An audit for educational disadvantage: Valerie Yule, 15 August 2008
Better report cards needed: Jennifer Buckingham, 12 August 2008
We can learn from special schools: Brian Caldwell, 11 August 2008
The pursuit of happiness ... and of education: Frank Furedi, 7 August 2008
Equality in education is a dying concept: Kenneth Davidson, 3 July 2008
New Thinking for a New Century: Joel Fitzgibbon, 3 July 2008
Green Lifeline: George Monbiot, 1 July 2008
Instruction Drives Construction ... Or Should: Frank Kelly, 30 June 2008
How John Howard shored up private education, by God: Michael Gawenda, 26 June 2008
Boost public school funding: Adam Rorris, 24 June 2008
Education for social mobility and social inclusion: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 23 June 2008
Have we learned our lesson yet?: Tony Thompson, 23 June 2008
What's Possible for Our Children: Barack Obama, 4 June 2008
Participation in Higher Education: The Needs of Rural Youth: John Halsey, June 2008
Obsession with car sending us the way of the Dodo: Frank Fisher, 8 May 2008
Equity in the Education Revolution: Julia Gillard, 3 April 2008
A Vision for 2020: Achieve Equity in Education: Save Our Schools, April 2008
Perspectives on relevance and the quest for rigorous student learning: Elliot Washor, 31 March 2008
The Power of Parent-Teacher Relations: Danielle M. Mbadu, 28 March 2008
Choice is all very well, but not at the expense of education: Iran Yusuf, 25 March 2008
Different identities: Liza Hopkins, 17 March 2008
Citizens' rights and the rule of law in a civil society: not just yet: Julian Burnside, 10 March 2008
The fight for English: Malcolm King, 7 March 2008
Playing catch-up with digital realities: teaching in the electronic age: Dale Spender, 27 February 2008
Defining disadvantage: need for a national rethink of school funding: Andrew Dowling, 27 February 2008
Effective teachers where they are needed most: Kirsten Storry, 25 February 2008
Sorry to the Stolen Generations: Hon Kevin Rudd MP, 13 February 2008
Clear Felling the Future: Rosslyn Beeby, 9 February 2008
Schools are Entrenching Inequality in Our Society: Trevor Cobbold, 6 February 2008
All Our Students Thinking: Nel Noddings, February 2008
Population Bombs: George Monbiot, 29 January 2008
Children's media: clean the slate and start again: Patricia Edgar and Barbara Biggins, 22 January 2008
Japanese Whaling a Bureaucratic Power Game: Aurelia George Mulgan, 24 December 2007
Watching as the World Withers: Nicholas Stuart, 18 December 2007
Climate Warnings Ignored: Andrew Mackintosh, 18 December 2007
Market Dogma Won't Save Education: Trevor Cobbold, 7 December 2007
Addressing Extreme Disadvantage through Commuity Development: Dr Ken Henry, 6 December 2007
Need for Global Action on Climate Change: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 19 November 2007
No Settling for Second Best: A World Class Education for Every Child: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 31 October 2007
Bring on the Recession - How Else Will the Destructive Effects of Growth be Stopped: George Monbiot, 9 October 2007
Stregthening Society's Values: Rupert Macgregor, 5 October 2007
Need for New Politics of Consultation, Concensus and Community Engagement: Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 3 September 2007
Family-school partnerships: from action research to sustainable good practice: Rupert Macgregor, 31 August 2007
The war for children's minds: Stephen Law, 21 August 2007
Australia the Stupid Country: Jane Caro, 1 August 2007
Federalism in the Land of Oz: Chester E. Finn Jr, 20 June 2007
Ignorance as a Second Language: Prof. Robin Jeffrey, 8 June 2007
Shaping a Sustainable Future: Prof Ian Lowe, 6 June 2007
Relaxed, Complacent and Risible: Tim Lindsey, 10 April 2007
Multicultural but Still Monolingual: Luke Slattery, 19 March 2007
Early Child Development: The building blocks for successful societies: Fraser Mustard, 17 March 2007
The Value of Our Imperilled Native Tongues: Noel Pearson, 11 March 2007
Punishment without Trial?: Michael Otterman, 5 March 2007
I Feel Therefore I Am: J.M. Coetzee, 27 February 2007
Justice Being Detained: Mike Steketee, 9 February 2007
Speaking in Tongues: Roly Sussex, 9 February 2007
What Are Australian Values, Really?: Martin Leet, 9 February 2007
Parenting by Proxy - To What Purpose? At what cost?: Bettina Arndt, 1 February 2007
Parenting Leave Opportunities: - It's an Education, Health and Family Values Thing: Rupert Macgregor, 31 January 2007
We Need to Reclaim Our Language of Inclusion: Reflections on Australia Day 2007: Michael Clyne, 30 January 2007
An Education Revolution for Australia's Economic Future: Kevin Rudd, 23 January 2007
The Sentience of Chimpanzees and Other Animals: Jane Goodall, 20 January 2007
The Importance of Learning the Mother Tongue in an Adopted Country: Shanti Senadeera, 10 December 2006
A Journey to Reconciliation: Trish Keller, 5 December 2006
The Liberal Frontier: Building a Civil Society: Julie Bishop, 24 November 2006
A Passion for Learning. It's a Values Thing.: Lindsay Tanner, 21 November 2006
Who Matters? How Many?: Malcolm Fraser, 31 October 2006
Obstinate Ignorance - the Glad Game and the Blame Game in Languages Education: Phillip Mahnken, 2 November 2006
Values Education and 'Doing Well' in School: Terry Lovat, 26 October 2006
Education, religion and values: Getting the mix right: Noel Preston, 5 October 2005
Faith in Politics: Kevin Rudd, October 2006
Who Values Australia's Language Potential?: Rupert Macgregor, 6 August 2006
To Repeat or Not to Repeat?: Helen McGrath , July 2006
The New Curriculum Micro-managers: Mercurious Goldstein , 23 June 2006
The Reverse of the Medal: Two Views of Tolerance: Sue Knight & Carol Collins and Christopher Pearson, 23 June 2006
Values and Australian Schools: Towards an Inclusive and Respectful Society: Alan Reid, 7 June 2006
Do Schools Kill Creativity?: Ken Robinson, June 2006
Much-vaunted Values Should be Enshrined in a Bill of Rights: Greg Barns, 2 May 2006
Australian values need to be taught, but not by chaplains: Ian Robinson, May 2006
Preschool Hope and Reality: Dr Alison Elliott, 26 March 2006
Sharing the true values of Sharia: Irfan Yusuf, 10 March 2006
Values Education Supporting the Well-being of Animals in a Caring and Compassionate Society: Carole de Fraga, 9 March 2006
Engaging global values: Noel Preston, 8 August 2005
Climate Change a Crisis of Collective Denial: George Monbiot, 4 May 2005