I think we need to applaud the new national curriculum because it appears to refocus curriculum more significantly along the lines of addressing content in a way that allows students to explore the way English usage came to be shaped and inviting teachers to select student experience.

Another welcome thrust is the "how" of language rather than assuming that literacy is something that is intuitively acquired, there is a greater effort in making students aware of the mechanics of language. Even though the idea that there are discernible "systems" in how to present ideas in shall we say essay writing, is open to debate. Parents can now hope that more attention will be devoted to the "skill" of writing as opposed to the easier teaching "what" goes in an essay.
Students need to be taught the skills of structuring ideas. And in the race to complete syllabus requirements by teachers for an exam such as the HSC this is simply not happening. So while the new national curriculum looks promising from a content perspective it still does not address the perennial problem of building appropriate skill sets for students. This of course being a central requirement for a knowledge based economy.