The Western Australian Adult Literacy Council

The Western Australian Adult Literacy Council (WAALC) was established with the purpose of ensuring that all adult West Australians have the opportunity to develop the literacy and numeracy skills required to actively participate in our increasingly complex society.

Latest News

Hi Members and Friends of WAALC,

Welcome back to work. It’s February all ready. Keep an eye for a maths work shop coming up soon.

We’re excited to start boosting our support for practitioners by introducing a monthly focus on our website. The aim is simple: share current information, highlight practical teaching and learning ideas, and build a growing resource hub you can rely on. Here’s our first attempt, and we’d love your feedback.

Safer Internet Day, held every year on the second Tuesday of February, gives us a valuable moment to pause and reflect on how we’re supporting adult learners to stay safe online. In Australia, the day is led by the eSafety Commissioner, and in 2026 it fell on 10 February. The focus remains simple but essential—helping learners develop safer online habits, check and strengthen privacy settings, and feel confident to speak up when something doesn’t seem right. [accc.gov.au], [scamwatch.gov.au]

For adult learners, the need is undeniably real. In the first half of 2025, Australians reported $173.8 million in scam losses—even though the number of reports actually decreased, showing that scams are becoming more sophisticated, not disappearing. By late 2025, losses had climbed to nearly $260 million, with online shopping and impersonation scams hitting people particularly hard. On top of that, national safety data shows 70% of adults experienced at least one negative online event in the previous year, from unwanted content to account breaches. Digital safety simply must be part of adult learning. [cyber.gov.au], [valbec.org.au]

We also know that many adult learners face additional digital barriers—low digital confidence, difficulty navigating online forms, or uncertainty about recognising suspicious messages. This is why Australian online learning expert Dr Deniese Cox emphasises practical, research‑tested approaches specifically for adult education. Her work shows the value of using plain language, providing targeted support (not one‑size‑fits‑all), and screening early to identify learners who may be at risk of digital exclusion before they even start a course. .Check out her webpage and free resources. https://www.teachingonline.com.au/digital-skills-gpg.

You can also view her keynote from the 2023 Keynote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLj-gAN6pSc

Teaching Resources for Adult Learners (Australia)

Here are some great starting points to deepen your own knowledge and use directly in your classroom.

I’ve also added a couple of ACSF Level 1–2 activity ideas using reading material from the Little Book of Scams.

1. eSafety Commissioner – Adult‑Suitable Cyber Safety Resources
Website: https://www.esafety.gov.au/educators/classroom-resources
Source: eSafety Commissioner Classroom Resources [esafety.gov.au]
These resources are school‑focused but very adaptable for adults—especially those new to digital environments. They cover privacy, device safety, critical thinking, and scam awareness.
Useful items include:
Be Secure activities (privacy, device safety, scams)
Short videos and discussion guides
Posters suitable for adult learning spaces

2. Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) – Cyber.gov.au Resources Library
Website: https://www.cyber.gov.au/learn-basics/view-resources/resources-library
Source: ACSC Resources Library [abs.gov.au]
A strong, well‑organised hub ideal for adult and community education.
Key materials:
Personal Cyber Security: First Steps / Next Steps / Advanced Steps (guides + checklists)
Cyber security tips for seniors (excellent for lower‑literacy adult learners)

3. Scamwatch – Research and Resources
Website: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/research-and-resources/scam-statistics
Source: Scamwatch / National Anti‑Scam Centre resources [cyber.gov.au]
Great for building engaging, real‑world learning tasks.
Includes:
Posters you can use or analyse in class
Little Book of Scams (including a First Nations version)
Authentic examples learners can use to practise identifying and reporting scams

Happy teaching, Yvette

Scams Informational Text ACSF Level 1-2 (PDF) Scams Informational Text ACSF Level 1-2 (Word)

National Skills Agreement

The National Skills Agreement is a 5-year agreement between the Australian and state and territory governments that reflects a commitment to ensure that no Australian is left behind or held back as the economy transitions and adapts to structural change. The Agreement includes agreed reforms, one of which is to improve foundation skills training capacity, quality and accessibility.

As part of this reform, the Australian and state and territory governments agreed to work together to develop a National Foundation Skills Strategy (the Strategy) to address issues of critical importance to the future of Australia and the wellbeing of individual Australians. This Strategy sets a shared direction for all governments for adult foundation skills nationally over the next decade and reflects our shared commitment to build foundation skills levels among Australian adults.

The Strategy is designed to enhance the lives of people who struggle every day to read and write, do maths or use computers – key foundation skills. We know that building these skills can improve people’s lives, creating new ways of engaging in communities and workplaces. Importantly, it can lead to opportunities for further education and training – helping to build the skilled workforce of the future and drive our state, territory and national economies.

Feedback Survey

Professional Learning Survey 2024 – 25

Dear members and friends. WAALC is now planning professional learning events for 2025 and are interested to know your areas of interest.

Thankyou for taking the time to complete this survey

Please Click to complete a short Survey

WAALC is proud to be associated with the State Library of Western Australia

At MAX, our vision is to support people from different backgrounds, cultures and communities to deliver life-changing opportunities and build a better future. Through our Reconciliation Action Plan, we are committed to ensuring we achieve this for Indigenous customers and communities.

We understand that Diversity and Inclusion is essential to the success of any business. At MAX, we believe that recognition and celebration of diversity helps us support our customers better and allows us to build an inclusive culture, where all our people are comfortable to be themselves.

Keep up to date with adult literacy and numeracy in Australia

Australian Council of Adult Literacy

The Australian Council of Adult Literacy (ACAL) publishes a regular free newsletter with news and opinion pieces about adult literacy and numeracy. Add yourself to their email list: you don’t need to be a member of ACAL.
Sign up

FS Teach

FS Teach Facebook page includes quite a lot of news but has the added benefit of hundreds of members across Australia who can answer your questions about foundation skills.
FS Teach Facebook

Adult Learning Australia

Adult Learning Australia offers more generic adult education focused information including webinars, a journal and undertakes an advocacy role.
More

Need a service for an adult to improve their reading writing or mathematics?

Reading Writing Hotline

Call Reading Writing Hotline 1300 6 555 06 or visit their website.

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WAALC acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, skies, and waterways across Australia.

We pay respect to Elders past and present and acknowledge the continuation of Cultural, spiritual, educational and literacy practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the continuing connection to country and Culture