State Government in Australia Debates Confucius Institute

Questions raised in parliamentary debate over Chinese Government-funded education classes in public schools.
State Government in Australia Debates Confucius Institute
10/13/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/JamieParker.jpg" alt="Greens Member of NSW Legislative Assembly Jamie Parker speaks to the media after the parliamentary debate on Confucius Institutes. (The Epoch Times)" title="Greens Member of NSW Legislative Assembly Jamie Parker speaks to the media after the parliamentary debate on Confucius Institutes. (The Epoch Times)" width="275" class="size-medium wp-image-1796428"/></a>
Greens Member of NSW Legislative Assembly Jamie Parker speaks to the media after the parliamentary debate on Confucius Institutes. (The Epoch Times)
The first Parliament debate about the controversial Chinese regime operated Confucius Institute programme occurred on Thursday in the Australian, New South Wales State Parliament.

The matter was brought to the attention of politicians due to the submission of more than 10,000 petitions protesting the Chinese Government-funded language and culture classes in State schools.

Jamie Parker, Greens Legislative Assembly member who tabled the petitions in September, commented on the vast volume of signatures indicating that the issue concerned many citizens and showed the gravity of the situation.

At least 22,000 petitions were collected across Sydney, according to Mr Parker. The remaining 12,000 will be tabled by the Liberal member Geoff Lee in November, which will again have to be debated in parliament.

Since the O’Farrell Government was sworn in March 2011, it is compulsory for a petition to be investigated if at least 10,000 signatures are tabled.

On the issue of Confucius Institutes Mr Parker said that the teaching of Chinese language and culture is welcomed, but he believes such education should be independent of the Chinese Government.

While addressing the 92-member lower house Legislative Assembly and a full gallery of the public attendees who were acknowledged by the Speaker in the House, Mr Parker outlined his concerns about the introduction of Confucius classrooms. This programme is currently backed by the NSW Department of Education in conjunction with the Confucius Institute headquarters in China known as Hanban.

“The Greens are concerned that the integrity of public education is being compromised by opportunities for a foreign government to promote views outside of the school curriculum for school students,” said Mr Parker in his address.

Responding to Mr Parker, former Education Minister Carmel Tebutt claims that the curriculum was approved by the NSW Board of Studies. She argued that the classes are supposed to fully “adhere to the department policies and procedures.”

Mr Parker however presented contradictory research and analysis.

He said that the teachers in Australia’s Confucius classes are employed by the Confucius Institute headquarter, an arm of the Office of Chinese Language Council International, which is affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Mr Parker raised the concern that teachers must meet certain criteria, including not having had any involvement in Falun Gong or other organisation deemed illegal by the Chinese Government, thus violating Australian workplace laws.

“It is clear that the teachers have been politically vetted and will be deeply prejudiced toward Beijing’s orthodoxy on many sensitive issues,” he said.

“It is natural for students learning languages to ask questions about culture, tradition and history in China. I am greatly concerned that they will not receive the impartial responses that our curriculum highlights.”

Earlier this year the NSW Department of Education spokesperson for Confucius Institutes Dr Phil Lambert confirmed that the Confucius classrooms in public schools will involve the study of language, as well as contemporary culture and history of China, according to Sydney Morning Herald report.

However, the Department has also admitted that topics sensitive to the Chinese government—including Taiwan, Tibet, Falun Gong and human rights violations—would not be included in these classes which is beyond their language teaching agenda.

The Greens are calling on the Confucius Institutes to be removed from New South Wales and be replaced by an Australian organisation.

Currently seven public schools have been selected for a trial of the Confucius Classrooms, before the programme becomes fully integrated in 2012.

These schools are: Chatswood Public School, Kensington Public School, Coffs Harbour High School, Fort Street High School, Kingsgrove North High School, Mosman High School and St Marys Senior High School.