ACARA CEO Mr Stephen Gniel explains why, alongside civics and citizenship education, it’s also crucial that all Australian students leave school with well-developed media literacy knowledge and skills.
Our collective education goals as set out in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration includes that all young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners and active and informed members of the community.
It’s these goals that guide ACARA in all our work – and which are strongly reflected in two of our recent initiatives; findings from a national assessment into civics and citizenship education and a new curriculum resource on media literacy.
Why media literacy matters
The latest findings from the National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) report, published in February 2025, demonstrate that more and more young Australians are choosing to consume news through the internet and social media, rather than the traditional media that their parents and grandparents are used to.
Whether it’s a news story, a television show, an online video or a social media post, our young people need to learn how to sort fact from fiction and work out whether something is credible or not.
We need to ensure students can develop the critical and analytical thinking needed to contend with an ever-evolving digital media landscape.
As the recent federal parliamentary committee report looking at civics education and political participation highlighted, a strong understanding of media literacy is also crucially important if we want our young people to be active and informed citizens.
New curriculum resource on media literacy
With that in mind, ACARA has released a new resource for teachers to help students develop a greater understanding of media literacy and the modern media landscape in a digitally connected world.
Developed working closely with academic, industry and teaching specialists, Curriculum Connection: Media consumers and creators helps our teachers ensure all students are engaged in developing media literacy knowledge and skills across Foundation to Year 10, specifically in Media Arts, English and Digital Technologies.
The new resource explores how new media, including social media and digital tools, are changing the way young people communicate, and are being communicated to, and how this impacts their lives and communities. It will help teachers to support students to become critical and mindful thinkers when consuming media so they can recognise misinformation and disinformation, but also to be creative and imaginative producers.
The content has been curated and mapped across a number of key learning areas to give teachers quick access to resources that explain the language and terminology, along with downloadable documents, posters and infographics which can be applied for the level or age band they teach.
It is essential for young Australians to develop media literacy so they can be active participants in our society. Our new resource will make teachers better equipped to achieve just that.
Civics and Citizenship report
Based on the performance and feedback from a representative sample of Year 6 and Year 10 students from across Australia, the Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC) report highlights both positive aspects and significant challenges in civics education across the country.
Students continue to value learning about Australian history and civic institutions. They also express high levels of trust in these institutions and demonstrate positive attitudes toward Australian diversity and Indigenous cultures. However, the report also uncovers some worrying trends – most notably, a decline in students’ overall knowledge and understanding of Australia’s democracy, political system, and civic processes.
In 2024, only 43 per cent of Year 6 students and 28 per cent of Year 10 students demonstrated proficiency in civics and citizenship – the lowest levels since we began these assessments in 2004.
The report highlights ongoing educational inequalities, with students from major cities generally outperforming their regional and remote peers. The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students remained substantial.
Year 6 female students outperformed male students, continuing a trend from previous assessments. However, unlike in past years, no significant gender difference was found at Year 10.
However, when it came to students’ attitudes toward civics and citizenship, they showed a high level of trust in civic institutions and a strong interest in current affairs, reporting growing concerns about national issues, including climate change, pollution, crime, and racism. They’re also consuming news about current events differently – relying more on internet and social media sources, and less on traditional media. Unfortunately, though, we’re seeing a decline in civic-related school activities such as excursions to parliaments and law courts.
What this means for our schools
Our school leaders play a pivotal role in ensuring that our young people receive quality civics and citizenship education. The Australian Curriculum provides a clear framework, with dedicated content descriptions and achievement standards from Year 3 to Year 10. It includes learning about important topics like our democratic system, the diversity of Australia, our legal system and our rights and duties as citizens.
Translating this into engaging, meaningful learning experiences requires strong support for teachers and innovative approaches in the classroom. That’s where resources such as the Civics and Citizenship Education Hub can help. It’s a platform that connects teachers with resources, events and programs to support civics and citizenship education in schools, in line with the Australian Curriculum.
The Governor-General, Ms Samantha Mostyn AC, has expressed strong interest in the report’s findings. She has engaged with ACARA to explore ways to improve civics education across the country. This level of attention underscores the importance of ensuring that all young Australians leave school with a strong understanding of their rights, responsibilities, and role in society.
Time to act
It’s true that the latest NAP-CC results are a wake-up call, but they also provide an opportunity to reinvigorate our approach. By fostering critical thinking, active participation, and media literacy, we can empower students to become informed, engaged citizens who contribute meaningfully to their communities and democracy.
Now is the time to strengthen our commitment to both civics and citizenship and media literacy education. Our students are eager to learn about our country’s history, institutions and democratic processes. They are also equally keen to become analytical, creative and literate consumers and producers of media in our digitally connected world.
It’s up to all of us to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to navigate the world as active and informed citizens.
More information
The National Assessment Program (NAP) sample Civics and Citizenship (CC) Report 2024, can be found online at www.nap.edu.au/nap-sample-assessments/results-and-reports.
The Curriculum Connection: Media consumers and creators resource can be found online at https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources
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