MRC Report: The Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum: In search of a knowledge-rich EDUCATION

Published: June 2026

This report calls for urgent reform of the Australian Curriculum to reverse two decades of declining educational outcomes amid complaints from teachers that the national curriculum is vague, overcrowded and difficult to implement.

Authored by education expert Dr Kevin Donnelly AM, the report highlights a central paradox in the education system: results are going backwards despite two decades of increased government funding.

That is why the Menzies Research Centre is calling for urgent reform centred on two options:

Option One calls for replacing the existing Australian Curriculum entirely with knowledge-rich syllabuses – concise, subject-focused documents covering Foundation to Year 10, modelled on the Statements of Learning developed under the Howard Government. .

Option Two proposes a comprehensive review and revision of the existing curriculum — undertaken now — to eliminate overcrowding, strip out cross-curriculum ideological content, and rebuild the framework around essential knowledge by year level.