The term 'civic deficit' has been used to describe a situation in which a significant proportion of Australian citizens display low levels of knowledge and understanding of, and low levels of engagement with, Australian political and constitutional arrangements. This civic deficit has attracted increased attention by governments, policy makers and the broad educational community within Australia in recent years. The 1994 Report of the Civics Expert Group identified school education as a major site in which to address this deficit, and the past decade has seen increased emphasis on civics and citizenship education in Australian schools. This thesis critically examines the role of civics and citizenship education within Australian secondary schools. It does this, not purely from an educational perspective, but from within the broader context of the contemporary Australian political system. The thesis regards citizenship as inherently a political concept, and develops the notion of democratic citizenship as the most significant element of this. It is argued that democratic citizens are more than merely knowledgeable about their nation's democratic traditions, government institutions and constitutional arrangements. While these elements of civics and citizenship education have a role, democratic citizens are genuine members of their political community. It is argued that they are inquisitive participants in that community. Many resources have been devoted to the development of civics and citizenship education materials and programs in Australia in recent years, most notably the Discovering Democracy Program, an initiative of the Commonwealth government. The thesis reviews and discusses prominent elements of these program, and argues that, while they certainly have merits, most do not take sufficiently seriously the detachment and alienation characteristic of the civic deficit. By drawing on the author's own curriculum and pedagogical contributions to the field, is demonstrates how Australian schools can address the civic deficit more effectively by educating for a maximalist, active democratic citizenship, more likely to deepen and reinvigorate Australian democracy.