The subject experts appointed to the Abbott government's national curriculum review included several figures with close Coalition links who were chosen without any scrutiny from education officials.

University of Sydney poetry professor Barry Spurr, one of the specialist reviewers of the English curriculum, has been suspended from academic duties after leaked emails showed him referring to "abos", "mussies" and "chinky-poos".

Education Minister Christopher Pyne. Credit:Melissa Adams

Professor Spurr argued in his subject review that the impact of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature in Australia had been "minimal" and that there should be a greater focus on western civilisation in the curriculum.

The leaked emails have sparked accusations from Labor and the Greens that the appointment process for the subject experts – many of whom are quoted at length in the review to justify changes to the curriculum – lacked transparency and rigour.