The states of English in Australia

Under the Australian Constitution, education is primarily the concern of the six states and two territories: hence there are eight separate educational systems. This article attempts to report on some commonalities among these systems, as well as offer a closer discussion of the state of English in New South Wales (NSW). NSW has recently undergone reviews of the English Syllabuses in both compulsory (Years 7-10) and post compulsory (Years 11-12) years. These reviews have produced quite liberal Syllabuses. Nevertheless, a separation exists between “English” and “literacy” in NSW and the assessment of “literacy” does not reflect the spirit or content of the Syllabuses in secondary English.