Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has promised to reshape Australian classrooms around patriotism, national history and pride in the country’s heritage, while removing Welcome to Country ceremonies and what the party describes as “self-hatred” from schools.
In a social media post republished after One Nation said the original had disappeared from Meta, the party said schools under a One Nation government would encourage young Australians to love their country rather than apologise for its history.
“Under One Nation, our schools will promote patriotism and encourage young Aussies to love their country, its history and its heritage,” the post said.
“We will not apologise for our history. We are one of the greatest countries on earth, and we will be proud of this.”
The party accused what it called the “woke educational establishment” of denigrating Australian history and promised that “both the Welcome to Country and self-hatred will be expunged from our schools”.
One Nation did not set out how patriotism would be defined, which historical content would be changed or what teaching material it considers to promote “self-hatred”.
It also did not provide evidence explaining why the original Meta post disappeared. There has been no publicly available explanation establishing whether the post was removed by the platform, deleted by an administrator or affected by a technical issue.
The announcement is consistent with One Nation’s existing education platform, which promises a stronger focus on reading, writing, arithmetic, classroom discipline and explicit instruction.
The party says schools should develop critical thinking and deliver a knowledge-rich curriculum, while rejecting what it describes as racial, gender and Western “guilt shaming”.
One Nation has repeatedly campaigned against Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country practices in schools, government departments, Parliament, sporting events and other public institutions.
Senator Hanson has described the practices as divisive and politically driven, arguing Australians should not be made to feel like visitors in their own country.
The party’s broader policy would end taxpayer funding for Welcome to Country and similar ceremonies and promote the Australian flag as the sole national flag displayed by government bodies.
Senator Hanson has also outlined plans to remove Welcome to Country ceremonies from educational institutions as part of a wider agenda she says would promote national unity and a shared Australian identity.
However, Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country are different practices.
A Welcome to Country can only be delivered by Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people authorised by Traditional Owners. It formally welcomes visitors to a particular traditional Country and may include a speech, dance, song or smoking ceremony.
An Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered by anyone and recognises Traditional Owners and their continuing connection to land and community.
Reconciliation Australia says neither practice suggests that other Australians do not belong in the country. It says the purpose is to uphold cultural protocols and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners of particular lands.
In schools, an Acknowledgement of Country delivered by students, teachers or principals is likely to be more common than a formal Welcome to Country, which requires the involvement of an authorised Traditional Owner.
One Nation’s statement referred only to Welcome to Country, leaving unclear whether its proposed removal would also cover acknowledgements, classroom recognition of Country or participation in events involving Traditional Owners.
The party’s promise would also face constitutional and administrative barriers if pursued solely through the federal Parliament.
State and territory governments are responsible for operating and regulating schools, while non-government education authorities manage Catholic and independent systems.
The Commonwealth provides substantial funding and helps establish national priorities, but it does not own schools, employ teachers or directly control their daily operations.
The Australian Curriculum is developed nationally, but state, territory and non-government authorities decide how it is delivered, including implementation timelines, classroom practices and teaching resources.
A federal One Nation government could seek curriculum changes through meetings of education ministers or attach conditions to Commonwealth funding, but it could not simply direct every Australian school to adopt an identical policy without cooperation from the states and territories.
The current Australian Curriculum already includes Australian history, democratic institutions, citizenship, national values and the responsibilities of citizens.
Its Civics and Citizenship program seeks to teach students about Australia’s Constitution, Parliament, elections, courts, laws and democratic system.
The curriculum says students should develop a sense of belonging and civic engagement within Australia as a secular democracy, a culturally diverse and multi-faith society with a Christian heritage and distinct First Nations histories and cultures.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures is one of three cross-curriculum priorities, alongside sustainability and Australia’s engagement with Asia.
The priority is not taught as a separate subject. It is incorporated where relevant into history, English, geography, civics and other learning areas.
ACARA says the content allows First Nations students to see their cultures and identities reflected in education while giving all students an understanding of Australia’s history, including colonisation, native title, cultural continuity and the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
One Nation’s criticism raises a broader debate about whether teaching colonisation, dispossession and historical injustice undermines national pride or gives students a fuller understanding of Australia.
The party argues schools have placed too much emphasis on guilt and division at the expense of the country’s achievements, institutions and freedoms.
Supporters of the existing approach argue that pride in Australia does not require avoiding difficult parts of its history and that students should learn about democratic achievements alongside war, discrimination, dispossession and government failures.
The Australian Curriculum encourages students to examine primary and secondary sources, consider different historical perspectives and develop their own evidence-based conclusions.
The One Nation proposal comes as governments across Australia are already considering how to strengthen civics education and the teaching of national values.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has said democracy depends on citizens understanding the Constitution, Parliament, courts, elections and how laws are made.
Education ministers agreed in early 2026 to review parts of the curriculum to strengthen Australian values and help combat antisemitism, with the review involving governments, teachers, curriculum authorities and different school sectors.
The renewed focus follows evidence that Australian students’ understanding of civics has fallen.
In the 2024 National Assessment Program, 43 per cent of Year 6 students reached the proficient standard for Civics and Citizenship, down from 53 per cent in 2019.
Only 28 per cent of Year 10 students reached the standard, compared with 38 per cent five years earlier. The results were the lowest recorded since the assessment began in 2004.
Those results could strengthen One Nation’s argument that schools should devote greater attention to Australian democracy, history and citizenship.
However, they do not establish that teaching First Nations history or holding acknowledgements has caused the fall in civic knowledge.
The assessment focuses on students’ understanding of government, laws, elections, civic participation and democratic institutions rather than measuring patriotism or attitudes towards Welcome to Country.
The federal government has established an online Civics and Citizenship Education Hub with resources about democratic history, government, law, identity, diversity and citizenship.
It also supports student visits to Parliament House, the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Electoral Education Centre and the Australian War Memorial.
One Nation’s latest statement therefore enters a policy debate in which there is broad agreement that students need a stronger understanding of Australia, but deep disagreement about what national pride should mean and which parts of history should be emphasised.
The party has framed the issue as a choice between patriotism and an education system it says teaches shame.
The existing curriculum presents a different position: that students can value Australia’s democratic institutions and achievements while also studying colonisation, exclusion and the experiences of First Nations Australians.
What remains missing from One Nation’s announcement is a detailed curriculum proposal.
The party has not identified which lessons would be removed, whether Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country would both be prohibited, how schools would be monitored or whether teachers could still discuss contested interpretations of Australian history.
It has also not explained whether its policy would extend to Catholic and independent schools or how it would secure the cooperation of state and territory governments.
Those details would determine whether the announcement amounts to a practical education reform or a broader political statement aimed at voters concerned about national identity, cultural division and what children are being taught.
For now, One Nation’s message is direct: it wants Australian classrooms to place national pride at the centre of education and remove practices the party believes make students feel ashamed of their country.
The policy is likely to attract support from voters who believe Australian history and democratic achievements have been undervalued.
It will also face strong opposition from First Nations organisations, educators and reconciliation advocates who argue that acknowledging the country’s full history is not an act of national self-hatred, but part of producing informed Australian citizens.
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