Since getting started in 2022, Teachers for Peace has been part of a growing movement, organising to kick weapons companies out of education. We’ve just released a Progress Report, detailing the efforts of people around the country.
Our report shows that we’ve collectively made some big steps forward:
- More states have education policies that explicitly recognise the weapons industry as harmful
- Education unions have taken principled positions, and rank-and-file members have withdrawn their participation from programs associated with weapons companies
- Questions have been asked in state and federal parliaments
- Action on university campuses has increased transparency and accountability
- Public awareness and scrutiny of the weapons industry has increased
- There are now groups and individuals in every state and territory organising on this issue
We also found that fewer STEM education programs are clearly associated with weapons companies.
On the other hand, the effect of AUKUS on Australian education is more apparent in 2025, with more defence industry-related initiatives being promoted by state and federal governments.
So – there’s more work to do: our report also recommends actions that people can take to maintain our momentum.