Lesson focus

  • Respect
  • Responsibility
  • Understanding, tolerance and inclusion

expectations and goals

  • Students to understand Australia’s governing system
  • Students to compare and contrast government styles of the world
  • Students to understand how Crime Stoppers protects citizens’ rights and freedoms

learning experiences

Classroom Ideas

  1. Ask the students to answer the following questions by either class discussion or internet research:
    1. Does Australia have a President or Prime Minister?
    2. Who is Australia’s leader?
    3. Which party does our leader belong to?
    4. Is Australia a democracy or dictatorship?
    5. Is Australia part of a constitutional monarchy?
    6. What other parties are there in Australia to vote for?
    7. How often do we vote?
    8. Does everyone have to vote? Is there a consequence?
    9. Do minorities get to have their say on voting day (Answers: Prime Minister; Malcolm Turnbull; Liberal National Party; Australia’s government is a federal parliamentary democracy; Australia is a part of constitutional monarchy; ALP, Greens, Nationals, several smaller parties; every four years; yes compulsory to vote if you are an Australian citizen; you are fined if you do not vote; minorities do get to vote if they are Australian citizens)
  2. Explain to the class that Indigenous Australians have not always had the right to vote in Australia.
    Ask students to research the history of the Indigenous vote on the Australian Electoral Commission website at www.aec.gov.au  Direct students to map the history of the Indigenous vote in each State and Territory along a continuum.
  3. Hold a class discussion by posing the questions, “When and how were Indigenous Australians given the right to vote federally? How did the granting of those rights differ from the States and Territories?”
  4. Discuss with the class that Australians have a non-corrupt system where proposals are passed legitimately through a set of steps. Provide students with access to How is Australia
    ruled? (Resource 11 below) and ask them to complete. Discuss the answers as a whole class.
  5. Provide students with access to Contrasting governing styles of the world (Resource 12 below) and ask them to complete. Students may chose from:
    1. Dictatorship
    2. Totalitarian
    3.  Theocracy
    4.  Absolute monarchyThe following information needs to be included:
    5. Definitions
    6. Ruling power (leaders, politicians)
    7. Examples of countries
    8. Citizens – power, quality of life
    9. Advantages and disadvantages of this style of government
  6. Ask students to conclude the activity with a paragraph explaining their opinion of which style of government they prefer and why. Invite students to display their completed work.
  7.  Ask students to prepare a five-minute speech on a chosen form of government. The speech is to include answers to the following questions:
    1. Who is in charge in this type of government?
    2. How is this decided?
    3.  Who has no power or say in this type of government? How are they excluded?
    4. What country is ruled with this type of government?
    5. What are the positive aspects of this form of government?
    6. What are the negative aspects of this form of government?
  8. Pose the question to the class, “In this democracy, what are the benefits of living in Australia?” Discuss the link to Crime Stoppers in that it protects what we value as citizens. Review
    How is Australia ruled? (Resource 11 below) in context with the question.
  9. Hold a class discussion by posing the question, “With a system like Crime Stoppers, what rights and freedoms does it allow us to have whilst living in Australia?”Encourage students to think about their own rights and freedoms and how they affect their everyday lives. Discuss with the students the difference between rights and freedoms (eg A right is something that was given to you and should be yours. Like it is your right to have as many children as you want or wear the clothes you would like. A freedom is the ability to do something such as download songs on the internet through legalised websites).
  10. Ask students to think about their rights and freedoms. Provide them with access to Rights for me (Resource 13 below) and ask them to complete.

focus questions

  1. Does Australia have a President or Prime Minister?
  2. Who is Australia’s leader?
  3. Which party does our leader belong to?
  4. Is Australia a democracy or dictatorship?
  5. Is Australia part of a constitutional monarchy?
  6. What other parties are there in Australia to vote for?
  7. How often do we vote?
  8. Does everyone have to vote? Is there a consequence?
  9. Do minorities get to have their say on voting day?
  10. What is the difference between a right and a freedom?
  11. What is Australia’s ruling background?
  12. How do we make an idea a law?
  13. How does Australia’s governing system compare with the rest of the world?
  14. What does Crime Stoppers allow us to do in our society?

assessment tasks

Students to:

  1. Prepare a five-minute speech on a chosen form of government

download resources and tools

Printable lesson plan (Year 8, Lesson 5)

Australian Electoral Commission website: www.aec.gov.au

Resource 11:How is Australia ruled? [Download Resource 11]

Resource 12: Contrasting governing styles of the world [Download Resource 12]

Resource 13: Rights for me [Download Resource 13]

Additional resources:

Department of Foreign Affairs website

Civics and Citizenship Education website