The development of the Guide follows an Australian History Summit held in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, on 17 August 2007.

It is unclear from the Guide whether and where co-operative values and principles and co-operatives will be studied as  Australian History.

In a section on Historical Perspectives, it is argued that students should incorporate a range of perspectives into their study of Topics. Two of these perspectives are identified as:

• Beliefs and Values Perspectives.
• Economic Perspectives.

Under Beliefs and Values Perspectives, it is noted that this would include the influence of Christian churches and liberal democratic philosophies. This should also include co-operative values and principles.

Under Economic Perspectives, it is noted that students should reflect on the study of prosperity and its distribution in Australia and the roles of governments, businesses and individuals. This should also include co-operatives - an alternative business model to public and investor enterprises.

The objectives of the study of Australian history are stated as including analysing and account for differences in historical interpretations, appreciate and critically evaluate the diversity of sources available and understand the value of causation, motivation,empathy and significance as historical concepts.

To achieve these objectives it is impossible not to include the history of the co-operative and mutual movement in Australia.

The Democracy Principle: Farmer Co-operatives in Twentieth Century Australia.

is a pioneering study of co-operation and co-operatives in Australia.

Author profile

In The Democracy Principle: Farmer Co-operatives in Twentieth Century Australia, Gary Lewis describes how farmer co-operatives originated and explains how they came to occupy a unique position in the Australian economy, the challenges they met and failed to meet and their prospects for further development in the future.

Review of the book

To view and/or download a copy of Guide to the Teaching of Australian History in Years 9 and 10 go to the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training
http://www.dest.gov.au