Are we teaching young Australians what to think — or how to think?

The protests against Pauline Hanson raise a bigger question about what our children are learning in the classroom 

When hundreds of Australian students walked out of school recently to protest against Pauline Hanson and One Nation, the images were striking. Young people carrying placards, chanting slogans and taking to the streets to express their political views. For some, it was an inspiring example of young Australians becoming involved in democracy. 

For others, it raised a very different question: 

Are our schools teaching young people how to think — or what to think? 

The protests took place in cities including Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with students voicing opposition to One Nation and Hanson. Some students said they were protesting against racism and in defence of equality and the rights of minorities. 

Hanson, meanwhile, argued that schools should teach young Australians how to think, not what to think, while federal Education Minister Jason Clare said students should remain at school and learn during school hours. 

But perhaps the most important issue isn't Pauline Hanson at all. 

It is how young Australians form their political opinions. 

Australia's national curriculum says students should develop critical thinking, assess the reliability of information, examine different perspectives and use evidence to support arguments. Civics and Citizenship specifically aims to help students become informed and active participants in Australia's democracy. 

That sounds exactly like what we should want. 

But are we achieving it? 

If a 15-year-old strongly opposes a political party, can they explain why? 

Can they identify the party's actual policies rather than simply repeat what they've heard from social media, friends, teachers, parents or political campaigners? 

Have they looked at the arguments from both sides? 

Have they read the policy itself? 

Can they distinguish between a political claim, an opinion and a documented fact? 

And perhaps most importantly, would they be prepared to change their mind if the evidence changed? 

Those are difficult questions. 

Young people have every right to have political opinions and, within the rules applying to schools and demonstrations, to participate in civic life. Protest has an important place in a democracy. But democracy is more than shouting louder than the other side. 

It is about being able to listen to an argument you disagree with, question it, research it and then decide for yourself. The same standard should apply regardless of which political party is involved. 

If students protest against Pauline Hanson, they should understand what she and One Nation actually stand for. But equally, if students support her, they should understand the criticisms of her policies and be able to defend their position with evidence. 

That is what genuine political education should look like. 

Perhaps the greatest failure would not be teaching students the ‘wrong’ political view. 

It would be failing to teach them to question any political view — including the one they already believe. 

The recent protests should therefore prompt a much bigger conversation about our education system. 

Are we giving young Australians the tools to investigate political claims? 

Are they being exposed to genuinely different viewpoints? 

Are they learning how Australia's Parliament, elections and political parties actually work? 

And are we encouraging them to ask the most important question of all: 

“How do I know this is true?” 

Because tomorrow's voters won't simply inherit the political arguments of today. 

They will inherit the country shaped by the decisions they make. 

And perhaps our responsibility is not to make sure young Australians vote a particular way. 

It is to make sure they know how to think before they do.