| Teachers are organising in their unions to take a stand against the military agenda in the school curriculum with the Defence Department’s Nuclear Propelled Submarine Challenge. See events and how you can take action below. |
| Mere weeks ago the Defence Department in collaboration with STEM Hub announced the Nuclear Propelled Submarine Challenge, a STEM project for year 7-12 inviting children to design nuclear-powered propelled submarines. Education Departments are promoting this on their websites. Teachers are rising up to oppose the military-grooming and nuclear-glorifying program. In primary schools, a program called Beacon is targeting year 4-6 students. This program is funded by BAE systems, the weapons company that is said to design and build the Australian nuclear submarines, with the intention to build “an extraordinary workforce“. Several teachers have taken this back to their union groups and have passed motions, calling for the State Governments and Education departments to cease participation in this or any AUKUS promoting curriculum programs. The issue has received well deserved attention in the media, with The Australian, The National Tribune and The Bursar, as well as several radio stations such as 3AW, The Wire, 3CR Dirt Radio, The Radioactive Show and Tuesday Breakfast covering the subject. Friends of the Earth has a useful page on the information and how you can take action. The Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW) has written a very informative report about the disturbing role weapon companies and the Defence Department are increasingly playing in our schools: Minors and Missiles. And Teachers for Peace has more information on this topic. TAKE ACTION: Email Education Ministers Please take a minute to send an email to Education Ministersaround the country to take this matter to their department and ensure the immediate cessation of involvement with any AUKUS and war-promoting curriculum programs. National Coordination meeting for teachers A national coordination meeting for teachers is held this Wednesday evening at 6.30 pm Melbourne time via Zoom. If you are a teacher and would like to participate, please contact nuclearfree@foe.org.au for the zoom details. For more actions, please see here. |
| All details available here Australian Anti-AUKUS Coalition |
| National Contact: antiaukuscoalition@gmail.com State Contacts: QLD: noaukusqld@gmail.com Newcastle: hunterpeacegroup.2016@gmail.com Sydney: homishdu@yahoo.com.au Wollongong: wollongongagainstwarandnukes@gmail.com Victoria: noaukusvic@gmail.com South Australia: https://linktr.ee/NoNuclearSubsSA West Australia: stopaukuswa@gmail.com |
| Website: Australian Anti-AUKUS Coalition |