Looking to Asia to understand Australia's place in the world is emphasised in the draft, which outlines the direction geography teaching should take in Australian schools from kindergarten to Year 12.

A focus on Australia's European connections is largely played down in the draft. ''Study of the geography of the major countries of Asia is an essential part of the proposed curriculum, with particular emphasis on Indonesia, China, India and Japan,'' the draft reads.

''In primary schools these are countries that students can investigate and explore, and learn about the ways Australia is connected to and engaged with them.''

More than 150 geography teachers and experts from across the country will meet in Sydney today to discuss the merits of the proposed curriculum as outlined in the initial advice paper to government.

The paper pushes for children to be taught not just local geography, but also facts about countries important to Australia. But in the list of nations deemed of most value to Australia in terms of politics, economics and culture, European countries barely rate.

''In both upper primary and secondary school the curriculum must ensure that students study those countries that are particularly important to Australia because of political and security relationships, cultural heritage and influence, migration, economic relationships, tourism and global environmental issues,'' it reads.

''These include the United States, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

''Others include Papua New Guinea, the islands of the South Pacific, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and South Africa.''

For more on this story, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.