Loading Victoria's Education Minister James Merlino said the funding boost would go towards new class materials and a professional learning program for teachers. “If we want to get the best out of our students, we need to listen to them – that's why we're giving them a voice in how civics is taught in our schools," Mr Merlino said. Students will create some of the new course materials, including new digital and video resources. Melbourne High School year 11 student Brian Lee, a VicSRC ambassador, said the teaching of civics and citizenship in school contained plenty of information about how Australia’s political system works, but not enough on why students should care.

“From my experience it’s effective at teaching the theoreticals of a democratic system, like how government works, how the Westminster system works,” he said. “But one of the largest weaknesses is teaching young people about the current political environment and the implications of current policies.” The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority will work with the ViCSRC, and Monash University to craft the new program. The funding also includes $400,000 to develop a professional learning program to support schools and teachers to implement the civics and citizenship curriculum in schools. Monash University’s senior lecturer in politics and international relations, Dr Zareh Ghazarian, said the overhaul was a good move, given the poor results in nationwide testing on civics.

He said it was important to listen to students, who were saying they wanted to be better prepared to participate confidently in the democratic process. “Young people are engaged on issues like education, same-sex marriage, the environment, housing: the concern is they don’t feel confident they are equipped to make the most of opportunities to participate in the democratic process,” Dr Ghazarian said. Ahelee Rahman, a year 9 student at Melbourne Girls Grammar and also a student council ambassador, said civics and citizenship lessons had been rewarding for her, with a highlight being a mock election with fictional parties and slogans in year six. But she said the subject lacked guidance on how young people could engage in politics and influence political outcomes before reaching voting age. “I know people who go to climate marches and have thought-provoking conversations about things that are happening but I think there is a stigma around politics – that it is something you should care about when you have the right to vote, or that only adults should care,” she said.

Michelle Ko, a year 12 student at Braybrook College and an executive of the council, said students were being taught how to vote but not necessarily the value of their vote. New course materials for teachers would also improve consistency between schools in how civics and citizenship is taught, she said. Senior high school students’ grasp of civics has been steadily slipping, according to national testing of year 6 and 10 students. Students’ knowledge and understanding of Australia’s system of government, civic institutions and values underpinning society is tested every three years. The most-recent results, released in 2017, recorded a proficient standard of 38 per cent among year 10 students, down from 44 per cent in 2013 and 49 per cent in 2010.

The decline in results among Victorian year 10 students was even greater, falling from 48 per cent in 2013 to 39 per cent in 2016. Year 6 students fared better nationally, with 55 per cent of students recording at or above the proficient standard, although the overall result was one per cent worse than when the test was introduced in 2004. Young people are also statistically less likely to vote than any other age group. A study of the 2016 federal election revealed young voters had the lowest turnout rates in Australia, with just 66 per cent of 18-year-olds casting a vote, compared with an overall rate of 91 per cent. The Australian Electoral Commission said in its study that the relationship between turnout and age had been apparent for many years, with research indicating this was a life-stage effect, not a generational effect.