Don't stop there Mr Howard!

Prime Minister John Howard yesterday afternoon announced "compulsory standalone Australian history in years 9 and 10," reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

"I will write to premiers and chief ministers asking that they accept the Australian Government's proposal to strengthen the teaching of Australian history based on the recommendations of the reference group and the subject-matter set out in the guide," he said.

"I will seek their co-operation on the next stage which includes consideration of assessment techniques, detailed curriculum and associated resources required to support this outcome.

Now that the study of history is the flavour of the election month - don't stop there Prime Minister. After ten conscientious years of funding cuts to history courses around the country, now would be the ideal time to replinish the starving beast of history teaching across the country.

It's all very well to shove gold-rush Australian history down the throats of 15 and 16 year old students, but where does that young scholar go when they find that the study of history is their future vocation? Or perhaps go on and teach history to the next generation? It wouldn't be at an Australian university that's for sure.

Just last month, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development found that public spending on high education in Australia was amongst the lowest of the 34 developed countries covered in the study. Australia was just ahead of Russia and Brazil.

Many arms of history study have all but vanished from many university calendars over the years of cut-backs. Australian history, economic history, European history, Ancient history, cultural history, Asian history, American history, colonial history, post-colonial history, medieval history, renaissance history, political history, legal history - if they have survived - are now operating with skeletal staff bodies. Courses in their hundreds have just disappeared along with an entire generation of lecturers, professors and tutors.

We aren't talking about the culture wars here. We aren't even talking about this ridiculous history war. We are talking about a basic principal of civilised society that has been decimated by a prevailing attitude by this government for ten years that brands the beautiful art of studying the humanities as 'elitist'.

If that logic holds true then the Prime Minister's visit to Moorebank High School in Sydney announcing the compulsory study of Australian history totalling 150 hours over a two year period is nothing short of pompous.