A parent claims his six-year-old son was given a colouring-in sheet featuring politicised images and slogans about Indigenous activism as part of kindergarten school work.
The father, who only gave his name as Donald, rang Sydney talkback radio station 2GB to say his son had brought home a colouring-in sheet with the outlines of raised ‘black power’ fists and a Torres Strait Island flag.
Also on the sheet handed out by the NSW Central Coast Lakes Grammar Anglican School were Aboriginal art motifs and the slogans ‘Australia has a blak history!’, ‘No pride in genocide’, ‘Close the gap!’.
Other slogans kids were asked to colour included ‘Stop stealing our kids!’ Blak lives matter!’, ‘Health care!’, ‘Land rights!’, ‘Justice’, ‘Stop the lies!’ and ‘Stolen wages’.
Donald was perplexed that such adult messages were being given to five and six-year-olds such as his son.
‘How is a six-year-old meant to understand this?’ he asked 2GB host Ben Fordham.
‘What are they doing to our children? As parents we feel like we have no voice and no one’s accountable.’
Donald said his young son, who is still learning to read, ‘had a lot of questions’.
‘This just creates anxiety,’ Donald said.
This colouring-in sheet promoting Indigenous activism was allegedly handed out in a Sydney kindergarten
‘If they are issues or not, fair enough in this modern day, but how does a kid process this? They are not at the point where there is critical thinking.
‘It might be more suitable for high school, if they allow critical discussion in that particular school, but it’s certainly not suitable for primary school-aged kids, especially the youngest of them.’
Donald confirmed there had also been an issue at the start of the year where some parents questioned why the school had a general open barbeque for new families and old ones but a separate event solely for Indigenous students and parents.
‘It’s this ideology, it was really exacerbated by this (Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum) Yes vote, the divisiveness, dividing everyone by colour and heritage,’ Donald said.
‘Instead of bringing people together it’s pulling people apart.
‘The indoctrination starts young, they want to build this anxiety into them, I think.’
The school has defended the material, which was issued as a nationwide teaching aids resource pack.
‘The colouring in sheet was part of NAIDOC Week educational resources provided by the NAIDOC National Committee in 2022, which was used in many schools across Australia,’ the spokesperson said.
‘Newcastle Anglican schools endorse the use of material promoted by NAIDOC as part of our curriculum resources.’
The general instructions that accompany the material states: ‘Content can be used across multiple learning areas and stages/grades from Foundational Studies to Year 12.’
Lakes Grammar Anglican School was contacted for additional comment.
Earlier this month it was reported a Sydney primary school was forcing students to chant ‘always was, always will be Aboriginal land’ at the start of every assembly.
One child aged six brought the sheet home with a ‘lot of questions’, according to his father (stock image)
The school instructed children to place their hands on the ground while they repeated the words as part of an Acknowledgment of Country.
One mum from the lower Blue Mountains region, who did not want to name the school, said ‘a lot of people’ would not know it was going on.
Another parent confirmed the act of touching the ground had been happening for some time as a standard practice.
The mum said that an altered national anthem that included the didgeridoo and stick instruments was also used at the school, replacing the traditional version.
In Victoria it was reported last month that Yarraville West Primary School, in Melbourne, has been making their students sing a revised version of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ at assemblies for six months.
The different version maintains the original musical score from 1878 but the lyrics except the title have been changed to acknowledge the history of Indigenous Australians.
Some parents questioned why Central Coast Lakes Grammar Anglican School (pictured) allegedly put on a separate welcoming barbeque for Indigenous families
With the revised version the opening lyrics are: ‘Australia, celebrate as one, with peace and harmony. Our precious water, soil and sun, grant life for you and me.’
The modifications were made by Indigenous artists for the Dulwich Centre and Seekers singer Judith Durham in 2015.
