Education Minister Christopher Pyne has taken the first step towards reforming the national school curriculum, by appointing two staunch critics of the current system to head up a government review.
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On Friday, Mr Pyne announced that former teacher and Coalition advisor Kevin Donnelly and government academic Ken Wiltshire would lead the review, which is due to report back by mid-year.
Labor and the Australian Education Union have swiftly criticised the process, accusing the Coalition of threatening to politicise the school curriculum.
The curriculum review was part of the Coalition's 2013 election platform and Mr Pyne has previously criticised what he describes as too little emphasis on ''the non-Labor side of our history''.
In an opinion piece in The Australian newspaper on Friday, Mr Pyne added that ''concerns have been raised about the history curriculum not recognising the legacy of Western civilisation and not giving important events in Australia's history and culture the prominence they deserve, such as Anzac Day''.
Mr Pyne told reporters in Adelaide that he wanted to implement any changes from the review in 2015, after consulting with state and territory counterparts.
He dismissed questions about the impartiality of Professor Wiltshire and Dr Donnelly, saying: ''I'm very confident that Ken and Kevin will bring a balanced approach.''
Dr Donnelly, who is a former chief of staff to Liberal frontbencher Kevin Andrews, has previously criticised a ''cultural left'' bias in the education system. Professor Wiltshire has labelled the current curriculum as a ''failure'' with poor and patchy content.
The Education Minister said he had not appointed a bigger committee to review the curriculum as he wanted a ''robust'' outcome, rather than a report that pleased all stakeholders.
Mr Pyne said that Dr Donnelly and Professor Wiltshire would look at the process of how the curriculum is developed as well as its content.
''I have asked them to gather the views of parents, state and territory governments and educators to inform their analysis.''
Describing himself as a ''curriculum nerd'', Dr Donnelly said on Friday that it was an honour to be appointed to the role.
A prolific writer, Dr Donnelly has previously written that many parents consider the practices of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people to be ''unnatural''.
He has also advocated for resources to be directed at teaching young people ''Australia's western heritage and Judeo-Christian tradition''.
''The language we speak, listen to and read is English and before children are made to learn an Asian language it might be a good idea, firstly, to ensure that they have mastered their native tongue,'' he wrote in a 2012 opinion piece for the ABC.
Labor's education spokeswoman Kate Ellis said that Mr Pyne's review threatened to take the national curriculum backwards.
''The curriculum should not be treated as a political football - politicians should not be determining the details of what is taught in the classroom,'' she said.
''States and territories - Liberal and Labor - have agreed to an independent board to set curriculum. But today, Christopher Pyne is threatening to take us backward by making this more about politics and less about learning.''
In a press conference in Adelaide, Ms Ellis said that "at least one" of the people appointed by Mr Pyne had "extreme views".
"If you were trying to do an impartial inquiry, you would not appoint a former political staffer. This is an absolute farce," she told reporters in Adelaide.
"This is a joke. And it should be regarded as nothing more than that."
Australian Education Union federal president Angelo Gavrielatos also expressed concerns about the review, arguing that the current curriculum is developed by experts and signed off by state and territory ministers.
''The curriculum must be balanced and I believe that the statements made thus far are without foundation,'' he told ABC Radio on Friday.
''The curriculum should not be politicised.''
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority is currently responsible for developing the national curriculum for all school students.
Mr Pyne has previously said ACARA is ''not the final arbiter on everything that is good in education''.
