ABSTRACT
Under the Australian Federal system of government, education has been largely the separate concern of the six states and two territories. These eight systems have historically designed and implemented their own curricula and administered their own education bureaucracies. However, at the time of writing, moves away from this history of curriculum design towards national curricula in key disciplines such as English are well under way. In any case, much commonality already exists in English, as discussed below. Broadly, schooling is for 13 years in each state and territory, with the compulsory years of schooling being generally to Year 10. The final years – Years 11 and 12 – include some form of assessment towards university entrance. English is a compulsory subject throughout the compulsory years of schooling in each jurisdiction.
