The learning reform stream of Safeguarding Democracy centres around ensuring students have more time and opportunity to learn and explore the themes and topics within civics and citizenship. While civics and citizenship is currently delivered through Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) as a compulsory aspect of learning between the years of 3 and 8, it's at the discretion of schools in years 9 and 10.

Learning reform in Safeguarding Democracy focuses on setting clearer and more consistent learning expectations for civics and citizenship in HASS subjects, and where key themes are embedded in the curriculum of other learning areas.

What is a cross-curriculum priority

Cross-curriculum priorities are an existing part of the Australian Curriculum. They represent important areas of learning that reflect contemporary national, regional and global contexts. The cross-curriculum priorities themselves are not separate learning areas or subjects. Rather, they are incorporate through what is taught in existing learning areas and subjects.

The 3 cross-curriculum priorities in the Australian Curriculum are:

• Sustainability
• Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia, and
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.

Civics and citizenship in the SA Curriculum

Introducing civics and citizenship as a cross-curriculum priority in the South Australian Curriculum will highlight how critical topics and themes are already embedded across all learning areas.  The civics and citizenship cross-curriculum priority will emphasise:

• values, rights and responsibilities
• critical inquiry and communication
• empathising and respecting diverse perspectives
• being ethical and community-minded
• democratic discourse and informed, fair decision-making.

The cross-curriculum priority will apply across all learning areas from reception to year 10, with an initial focus on years 7 to 10.

A prototype of the Safeguarding Democracy cross-curriculum priority will be available in 2026.