ABSTRACT
In this chapter I examine texts and speeches given by Kevin Rudd after having taken over the mantle of opposition leader for the Australian Labor Party. These policy statements separately focus on the uses of education in nation building and protecting geopolitical interest. In the first speech, made in January of 2007, Rudd proposes the notion of an education revolution. The speech signals a human capital agenda for the next Labor Government. There are similarities to the policy representations made by Howard where he conceptualises the consequences of threats, crisis and globalisation to position the needs of the nation and the capabilities of its peoples. Rudd’s “Education Revolution” speech is contrasted with one given in August 2007 to the Lowy Institute (2007), in which he proposes strategies for dealing with security challenges for the future. Titled Fresh Ideas for Future Challenges: A New Approach to Australia’s Arc of Insecurity, Rudd uses the forum to outline how education is a key geopolitical agent in fighting the war against terror. This chapter helps to make the argument that biopolitics and geopolitics come together when deploying education and literacy as a tool of government.
