HSIE - Government Stage Three Term 1 2 3 4

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SSS3.8 Roles, rights and responsibilities
Explains the structures, roles, responsibilities and decision-making processes of State and federal governments and explains why Australians value fairness and socially just
principles.
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Students will learn about:
rights and responsibilities of Australian citizenship and global citizenship
organisations that support employers and workers, e.g. associations, federations, unions
State and federal government structures and the relationships between them
processes by which laws are made and changed in State and federal governments
electoral processes
community, school and class decision-making and democratic processes
contributions of groups, movements, policies and laws to the development of fairness and social justice in Australia.
LearningAcross
TheCurriculum
Cross-curriculum
priorities
Aboriginal &Torres
Strait Islander
histories&cultures
Asia &Australias
engagement with
Asia
Sustainability
General capabilities
Critical &creative
thinking
Ethical
understanding

Information&communicati
on technology capability
Intercultural
understanding
Literacy
Numeracy
Personal &social
capability
Otherlearningacross the
curriculum areas
Teaching & Learning Activities Reg
outlines the broad democratic political
structures and gives examples of State
and federal government responsibilities
shows an interest in, and a willingness to
provide opinions about, community issues
researches and gives examples of how
civic action has improved local, national
and global communities
knows how to identify elected
representatives
understands the role of elected
representatives
identifies some of the differences
between state and federal levels of
government
investigates a community issue and
identifies and explains the purpose of civic
action
analyses a local issues to identify and
evaluate civic action.
1. Complete a KWL chart to gather an understanding of what students know about
Government.

We are learning to explain why Australians value fairness and socially just principles.

Introduction: decision making dilemma
2. Students read the story Ducks crossing here, an extract from Farmer Schultzs ducks
by Colin Thiele in Australian Readers, Discovering Democracy Upper Primary
Collection pp. 3336. In this extract, Farmers Schulzs family solve their duck dilemma
by direct action.
3. What is Farmers Schulzs problem? List each of the solutions he tried. Why did they
fail? Who is responsible for the safety of the ducks? Should Farmer Schulz have been
made to sell his ducks, or prevent them from crossing the road? When does the
safety of the community matter more than the interests of the individual?
4. Why did Farmer Schulz decide to solve the problem himself? Was he wrong to
attempt to do this? List the advantages and disadvantages of his actions. What
actions did Farmer Schulz consider? Think of other options he could have taken. In
the end he wrote to the Government. Which level of Government was this local
council, state or federal?
5. Compare the issues, strategies and resolutions with those in Ducks crossing here.
What do you think about the actions taken in each?



Civics &citizenship
Difference&diversity
Work&enterprise
We are learning to identify the responsibilities of State and Federal Government.

State and federal government responsibilities
6. Use the presentation available on TaLe Inside NSW Parliament
(http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/Web/nsw_parliament/), go to the
section on levels of government. Alternatively investigate the three levels of
government using the Three levels of government poster included in the Discovering
Democracy teaching kit.
7. Students search the Federal Government PEO (http://www.peo.gov.au/) web site for
levels of government information. Students work in groups to read and discuss the
different components of the information they have sourced. Undertake a guided
discussion with the whole class using strategic questions to enhance students
understanding.
8. Distribute responsibility cards - with a government responsibility on written on it e.g.
defence, trade, customs, currency, postal service, immigration, schools, hospitals,
police, roads and railways, wildlife protection, swimming pools, town planning,
libraries, pet licences, parking, garbage collection. Students discuss the
responsibilities and levels of government and classify them into the three tiers of
government. Students justify and explain the placement and review the information
from Inside NSW Parliament to confirm the responsibilities of each level of
government.
9. Use the State Parliament fact sheet
(http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/publications.nsf/key/IS02/$File/lev
els+of+govtwb.pdf) to clarify understanding. Add additional rows to the chart in the
fact sheet e.g. protecting the community federal, state and local roles; water supply
state and local roles; pollution federal, state and local roles.














We are learning to understand how the Government represents the people of
Australia.

Government representatives
Develop students understanding of representative democracy. Students identify who
represents them, how they are represented and what their representatives do in
parliament.
10. Identify the names of the local member of Federal and state parliament and their
roles and responsibilities in parliament. Are they a government or are they an
opposition member? Use the search on Australian Electoral Office
(http://www.aec.gov.au/)
11. Who are the federal senate and state legislative council members? Do you have a
local representative? Why/why not?
12. Investigate some of the different roles and responsibilities of the government
ministers in federal and state parliament.
13. What is the difference between federal and state levels of government and the roles
of your elected members of parliament?
14. In the hot seat
15. Assign students to particular government roles in the hot seat. Other students ask
questions that can be answered with yes or no; to establish their identity e.g. do you
look after everyone in Australia? Are you involved with education?


















We are learning to explain how civic action has improved local, national and global
communities.

Community issues and civic action
During the unit of work add newspaper articles on community issues categorise as local,
state and national interests to a noticeboard.
16. Use the Discovering Democracy information on citizens article
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/guide/g4_citizens.htm) Complete as a
shared reading task with students, stopping to discuss each section to develop an
understanding of civic action with reference to some examples in the local
community. This can occur as a local issue develops and new articles are published in
the local paper.
17. Investigate and discuss a community issue as it unfolds over time through the local
media.
18. Cut out articles and classify according to government responsibility. Clues to assist
classification could include Ministers name, portfolio, photographs and captions.
Articles can be sourced from the list of New South Wales newspapers
(http://www.newspapers.com.au/NSW/).
19. Identify the civic action taking place.

develops an understanding of
structure and purpose of the
Australian Government
develops an understanding of the
electoral processes used in Australia
participates in or describes the
electoral process used in Australia
reflects on the roles and
responsibilities of Australian citizens in
elections.
We are learning to understand the way Australias Government works and what is
involved.

The Australian government
20. View the video clips available on the PEO web site
(http://www.peo.gov.au/multimedia/videos.html).
21. Use the Kidsview interactive on Federal Parliament
(http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/kidsview.html) with the class. If internet access is
difficult this can be sent out from the PEO on CD.
22. Complete the online educational quizzes at the PEO website
(http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/kidsview.html) on parliament.
23. Prepare and develop a role play using the support available on the New South
Wales Parliament web site or the PEO web site. Undertake a parliamentary role play
with students.
We are learning to understand voting in Australia and the preferential voting
system.

Voting
Teacher reference: Refer to the teachers resource Democracy Rules: An electoral
education resource
(http://www.aec.gov.au/education/Democracy_Rules/files/CompleteTeacherGuide.pdf).
Megan has this resource.
24. Develop students understanding of the Australian electoral process. Refer to the
AEC video's on Election Day and Counting your vote
(http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/Democracy_Rules/interactives/index.htm).
25. Use the student magazine All you ever wanted to know about Australian democracy to
read and discuss the information presented. Use strategic questions to ensure
students understanding.
26. View the video Every vote counts, available from the Australian Electoral Commission.
It includes a teacher resource.
27. Develop students understandings of the following voting procedures:
a. must enrol to vote
b. 18 years of age
c. voting is compulsory
d. elections are held on a Saturday
e. vote at a polling booth
f. the purpose of how to vote card information
g. polling officer asks for name and address and whether the voter has
voted elsewhere today e.g. one vote per citizen, the exception is in local
council elections where property owners may vote once in the council
election where they own property, even if this is in a local council area
where they do not live.
h. name is checked off on electoral roll
i. number each square on ballot paper
j. fold ballot paper and put vote into ballot box.
28. Students complete individually or in small groups the AEC online quizzes Voting
challenge - What do you know? or Comic creations
(http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/Democracy_Rules/interactives/index.htm).
29. Students investigate opportunities within their school
30. community to become actively involved e.g. input into class decision making, school
decision making processes such as SRC, P & C, or other representative committees.
Review the process outlined on the AEC resource Voting tool
(http://www.aec.gov.au/Education/Democracy_Rules/interactives/voting_tool/index.

htm)
31. Students attend an SRC meeting as an audience member or discuss with your SRC
representative.
32. Discuss: Is our SRC democratic? Why or why not? How can it be more democratic?

We are learning about who can vote in Australia?

Who can vote being an Australian citizen
Only people who are Australian citizens can vote (and some very long term British
residents).
Go to http://www.citizenship.gov.au/. Note this website was not working when I tried
will need to check. Read and discuss the information on the rights and responsibilities
of being an Australian citizen.
33. View some of the citizenship stories (about what it means to be an Australian citizen.
Examine what it means to be an Australian citizen
(http://www.citizenship.gov.au/should_become/guide/) and what the roles and
responsibilities of a citizen are.
34. Australian citizenship day is 17 September
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/units/up4fq3acts.htm), review the
information and resources for teachers to use with students about citizenship,
including how to conduct a citizenship affirmation ceremony.
describes positive and negative
social justice situations
identifies the social justice issues in
community campaigns
describes the aims of some different
community campaigns
identifies and evaluates the people
power strategies e.g. demonstrating,
lobbying
supports a view about the
effectiveness of people power
strategies
supports a view about the legal
implications of the strategy used
evaluates a community campaign to
resolve a community issue
develops some understanding of
way laws are made and applied in
We are learning about social justice and how Australians can have their say on social
justice issues.

Social justice issues
These texts provide an opportunity to develop an understanding of social justice. The
texts explore some social differences that were exploited for others gain. Identify what
was fair and unfair about the situations described in the texts. Discuss the consequences
then and now of these situations.
35. View the video clip Blood Brothers - From Little Things Big Things Grow (2:52sec)
Reference the attached teachers notes and background information to explain the
context of the event shown.
36. Read the stories From little things big things grow (pp. 3839) and The carpet factory
(pp. 67) and work through activities suggested in teacher guide. (Sources:
Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Upper Primary Collection; Australian
Readers Discovering Democracy Upper Primary Collection Teacher Guide).
37. Select either of the following two case studies about improving working conditions
for both Australian men and women:
a. what have equal pay campaigns done to remove some of the

Australia
evaluates the reasons for the
independence of the courts in
Australia.
discrimination against women in employment? Reference the Discovering
Democracy support material
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/units/up4fq3acts.htm). Refer to
Handout 7, Handout 8, Handout 9, Handout 10, Handout 11, Handout 12,
Handout 13, Handout 14 and Handout 15.
38. OR
39. - how did groups of Australian workers bring about improvements in their work
conditions, specifically the eight hour day campaign? Reference the Discovering
Democracy support material. Refer to Handout 4 and Handout 5.
We are learning how laws are made in Australia.

Law making
40. For strategies to develop student understanding of how laws are made and changed,
refer to Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Handout 14
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/mp2_hand14.pdf), Rules and
Laws. and use the lesson notes on How does the law rule in Australia today Handout 1
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/units/up2fq5acts.htm), Handouts 5
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/up2_hand5.pdf), Handout 6
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/up2_hand6.pdf), Handout 8
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/up2_hand8.pdf) and
Handout 15
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/up2_hand15.pdf). Display
Handout 19 (http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/up2_hand19.pdf)
as a summary from the Law Rules.
41. Conduct an informal discussion or hold a formal debate on the topic: The Australian
government should have full control of decisions made by the courts.
42. Following the debate, discuss whether all citizens to have a fair trial if the
government controlled the courts.
43. (Courts would not need to have a jury, governments could set mandatory sentences
and could change laws that did not suit them.)
44. Explain how the separation of powers of the government and the courts supports
democracy in Australia today, as outlined in Handout 19 The law today
(http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/ddunits/downloads/pdf/up2_hand19.pdf).








Assessment: Student activities should provide an indication of how well students grasp
Assessment for Learning Assessment as Learning Assessment of Learning

KWL Chart
Use the People power assessment task
detailed in Community campaigns pp. 4958
Discovering Democracy Assessment
Resources. Students give an oral and/or
written report about a citizen campaign. Use
the newspaper articles collected on the
local, state or national community issue, or
use the resource sheet on p. 50 about the
equal pay protest in Melbourne in 1972.
Consider the following aspects for
inclusion in student report:
- what was the campaign about?
- what were the issues involved?
- what people power strategies were used?
- how effective were these strategies?
- who was involved in the
protest/community campaign?
- what did they want to achieve?
Assessment strategy
The teacher:
analyses students reports or
presentations on a community
campaign.
Assessment criteria
The student:
explains the issues in the campaign
explains the aim of the citizens campaign
identifies different strategies used in the
campaign
evaluates the success of the strategies
used
gives an opinion.

KWL Chart - comparison