AAPS Executive Statement on the ACT Pacific Studies Curriculum Milestone
AAPS Executive Statement on the ACT Pacific Studies Curriculum Milestone:
Celebrating progress, calling for national momentum
The Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) warmly congratulates the ACT Education Directorate on the groundbreaking milestone release of the Shape of the ACT Senior Secondary Curriculum: Pacific Studies (A/T/M). This marks a historic first in Australian education, a state or territory-based curriculum that brings Pacific histories, cultures, and perspectives into senior secondary learning in a sustained and meaningful way.
AAPS recognises the dedication and expertise of Professor Katerina Teaiwa and the many Pacific educators, community members, and cultural knowledge holders who collaborated to create this visionary course. We especially celebrate the incorporation of Pacific pedagogical frameworks, and the course’s commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, cultural literacy, and student voice. We commend the ACT teachers and curriculum officers who have worked over two years to develop this curriculum with dedication, creativity, and care.
This is not just curriculum reform, it is recognition. As Pacific peoples play an increasingly vital role in the cultural, ecological, political and spiritual life of this continent, we believe the ACT has taken a powerful step toward honouring Pacific peoples in education.
We encourage other jurisdictions across Australia to learn from this model and develop regionally grounded, culturally sustaining, and developed in partnership with Pacific educators. The growing Pacific youth population in Western Sydney, South-East Queensland, and beyond deserves access to curriculum that reflects their stories, strengths, and sovereignty.
As a peak body committed to advancing Pacific research, teaching, and advocacy in Australia and the region, AAPS sees this as a moment for equity, cultural integrity, and national leadership. We stand ready to collaborate with education departments, schools, communities, and universities across the country to support the expansion of Pacific Studies as a respected and resourced area of learning.
We also encourage Pacific communities, educators, and allies to share feedback and reflections to inform the next stage of development
Mālō ‘aupito, vinaka vakalevu, tenkyu tru, fa’afetai lava, and congratulations to the ACT. May this be the first of many steps in building a more inclusive and Pacific-literate Australia.
– A/Prof Victoria Stead, President of the Australian Association for Pacific Studies (AAPS) on behalf of the AAPS Executive
5 August 2025
Download the PDF here.