Social Justice In Australia

Australia has long been regarded as the ‘lucky country’ or the ‘land of opportunity’ (Coulton, 2005). It seems however, that this good fortune does not stretch to embrace all who enter our schooling system. Such luck and opportunity appears to be lavished upon those who align with the current interpretation of mainstream society, whilst those who find their place in minority groups continue to be deprived the same prospects afforded to the more fortunate masses. The current “high quality, low equity” (Argy, 2007, p. 1) outcomes that present within our nation do little to establish a noteworthy character for a country that desires to build equal educational opportunities for all young Australians (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting

If true equity and equality is to appear in the educational setting then social justice must stretch to encompass all children, from all cultural and social backgrounds in an attempt to provide a leveled playing ground for all students. This essay will serve to explore the essence of social justice as it relates to the inclusion of students specifically from low socio-economic environments and those who find they are discriminated against.

Social justice is concerned with the “insert quote.... along the lines of... distribution of resources, opportunity, and wealth in a manner that is considered to be fair”. The educational system consists of both public and private sectors, ranging from those in low socio-economic backgrounds to the upper echelon of society. A combination of all these factors means that the education of all Australians continues to be a topic that is fluid by nature. “Educational institutions have a comprehensive role to play in the transmissions of” adjustments that need to be made to meet these needs through approaches to distribution of funding, focus of key research, resources made available to the masses and the individuals, refinement of teaching practices right down to one-one one time spent with a student (Tait, 2012). These priorities are constantly assessed and

this power to help form and solidify social norms also “offers the opportunity for particular notions of difference to be challenged and de-legitimised” (Burnett, Meadmore and Tait, 2010). With a heightened awareness of the influence discrimination can have on the classroom environment, teachers have the ability to not only change an individual’s learning experience, but shape and change the opinions of their class as a whole. It is critically important that “as teachers we must be aware that discriminatory practices fluctuate considerably with contemporary culturally aware forms, now using culture as their primary discursive weapon” (Burnett, Meadmore and Tait,