Squiz Shortcuts - Australia's civics crisis

Your Shortcut to… Australia’s civics crisis

Young Australians’ understanding of civics and how democracy works is at a 20-year low, and it’s got educators worried because we’re living in a time of mis and disinformation that our young people are consuming every day online. So in this Squiz Shortcut we’ll look at:

• The gaps in young Aussies' understanding of civics and democracy

• what’s being done to turn things around

• and how our Squiz Kids Newshounds program is helping…

Prefer this in your ears?

Listen to our podcast 🎧

Listen time: 8 minutes

Before we get started, we’ve got a favour to ask…

It’s 2025 Squiz Survey time... Your responses give us the chance to get to know you better, hear what you think we’re doing well/can improve, and find out what else you may want from us. It will take you about 10 minutes, and to show our appreciation, there’s a $250 gift voucher up for grabs. Please and thank you…

Squiz the Shortcut

Assuming the knowledge gaps might not be just with youngsters, what are civics anyway?
We hear you… Civics is all about understanding how our democracy works. It’s not politics; it's more like the rules of the game - so who’s in charge, how laws get made, and what rights and responsibilities we have as citizens. And test results show that young Aussies are failing in the basics…

How bad is it?
The latest national curriculum test showed that only 28% of Year 10 students and 43% of Year 6s are considered proficient in civics. The test is run every 3 years by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), and these results are a 20-year low.

What sort of things are in the test?
Topics like what a referendum is, how laws are made, the rights of individuals, and the difference between local, state and federal governments. 

Got it… Why does this matter so much?
In practical terms, it means kids aren’t grasping the basics of Australian democracy and how our institutions work. When the results came out in February, they rang alarm bells for education experts.

Why is that?
Because a lack of civics knowledge can leave young people vulnerable to being influenced or manipulated by those spreading false information when they grow up to become voters. 

Is anything being done to turn things around?
Yep. Those experts called for an immediate overhaul of the curriculum to prioritise the teaching of civics. We say overhaul because civics is on the syllabus - aka the list of subjects kids have to learn - but the states have a lot of choice and freedom in how the topic is taught; it’s not streamlined, and some states cover it in more detail than others. 

And is there a change happening?
Yes… ACARA has just added media literacy to the national curriculum for the first time ever. That means lessons on recognising fake news will now be taught from kindy to Year 10.

What do you mean by media literacy?
It means kids will be taught how to spot mis and disinformation, understand where their news is coming from, and think critically about what they see online - especially on social media and platforms like YouTube.

How will that help with improving their understanding of civics and democracy?
The 2 go hand in hand… By helping kids to approach the information they’re consuming online using those media literacy skills, they’ll be better able to spot the fake stuff, and they’ll be less susceptible to manipulation by people or groups that might want to influence social or electoral outcomes. 

So there’s a through-line?
Most definitely… The connection between the rise in mis and disinformation and the gaps in knowledge about how our democracy works is something that education experts warn is serious enough that it could jeopardise our unity as a nation. They say the threat to democracy is real… 

Hang on, what about protecting free speech?
Free speech is another pillar of our democracy, and it’s important that it’s protected - that’s why teaching kids from a young age how to verify the sources of their information online is such a big deal... 

Sounds like a tricky balance
That’s where ACARA’s new course content rolling out in schools comes in. It’s called “Curriculum Connections: Media Consumers and Creators” and it’ll help teachers guide students through these topics. One of the resources teachers are being referred to is a free media literacy program that Squiz Kids has developed for primary school children called Newshounds…

Tell me about Newshounds
It’s a ready-to-go classroom resource that teaches kids vital skills like how to spot misinformation when they come across it online with the help of Squiz-E the Newshound - he’s the world’s first internet detective dog, a distant relative of the bloodhound that used to hang out with Sherlock Holmes, no less. He teaches kids to STOP, THINK and CHECK before believing everything they see online.  

Wise words Squiz-E... Is it in all schools?
We’re working on it… Newshounds has been around for just under two years, and in that time, more than 4,500 primary school teachers around the country have signed up to do it with their classes.

That’s a lot
Sure is, but it’s still only a fraction of Aussie schools. Our Squiz Kids colleague Bryce Corbett says the take up is evidence of how desperately parents and teachers believe kids need to be taught to think critically about the flood of content they’re exposed to online. And to that point, our recent petition calling on the government to fund media literacy education in Australia has attracted over 11,000 signatures to date.

What’s the government’s position?
The additions to the curriculum have its support. Fostering young people’s understanding of civics and democracy is something that our Governor-General Sam Mostyn wants to make part of her legacy during her tenure. She says that if we don’t improve it, the consequences will be felt not just by students leaving school but by the entire nation. But she’s optimistic the new course content will make a difference, saying "We have a huge opportunity to strengthen our democracy”.

Holiday shopping from home

Duty-free bargains are the best, and with Lotte Duty Free, there's a fresh way to shop and be rewarded before you jet off on your next adventure. Earn Qantas Points with every dollar you spend, so whether you're shopping in store or online, the points can be used towards your next holiday, adding value to your purchases before you board. Start earning points today by visiting Lotte Duty Free locations or by shopping online - and learn more here.

Onto our Recommendations

Looking: Squiz Kids’ Newshounds program - share it with any educators in your life that you think would be interested... 

Listening: And while we’re at it, Squiz Kids also has a podcast series about Civics that’s a great introduction to the topic for kids… 

Signing: We’ll also include a link to the Squiz Kids petition that we mentioned - in case you want to add your name to it.

Recent Shortcuts