Geography / Year 8 / Geographical Knowledge and Understanding / Unit 2: Changing nations

Curriculum content descriptions

Reasons for, and effects of, international migration in Australia (ACHGK058)

Elaborations
  • identifying and explaining the main types and patterns of international migration (for example, permanent migration, temporary labour migration, student migration, forced migration (including refugees) and family reunion)
  • investigating where and why international migrants settle in Australia and how this may reinforce urban concentration
  • exploring the changing cultural diversity of the Australian population
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Migration,  Australia,  Countries

Interactive

Refugees welcome here

This resource embeds the use of online collaboration tools and 21st century learning skills in a student-centered hands-on project designed to welcome refugees into their community. The syllabus outcomes are aligned to NSW Stage 4 English, Geography or Visual Arts but this could be used with older or younger students by ...

Video

ABC News: Australians as global citizens

How is Australia connected globally? Watch as presenter Jeremy Fernandez uses a range of data sources to describe Australia's position in the world. From the economy to immigration, this clip shows some of the ways Australia currently connects with the world.

Interactive

Across Land and Sea: Muzafar’s True Story

This interactive resource explores the experiences of a former refugee from Afghanistan, Muzafar Ali, who has worked as a political and human rights analyst. The resources explore the experiences of a refugee or displaced person in countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Australia. The site includes video clips, photos ...

Downloadable

How Urban Places Take Shape - Year 8

This resource introduces students to the built environment and how human decisions shape place, population change and urban systems. It explores how Australia’s urban places are planned and designed, how they function as interconnected systems, and why decisions about land use, movement and public space matter. Students ...

Interactive

Laptop wrap – improving liveability

A page with a focus on using geographical data to plan for future community needs, with supporting activities and links to resources.

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Damming the free and mighty Mekong

The Mekong has been a rare thing: a largely untouched and free-flowing river. Stretching for nearly 5,000 km from the mountains of Tibet to Vietnam's Mekong Delta, it has provided a way of life for millions of people and been an important trading route between south-western China and south-eastern Asia. In this clip from ...

Video

BTN: China's internal migration

For decades China has experienced a mass migration of people from rural to urban areas. This large-scale movement of people is putting pressure on the resources and facilities of cities such as Shanghai. Watch this clip, first broadcast in 1993, to find out the reasons for China's internal migration and the challenges it ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Spawning dams, not fish, on the Mekong?

The Mekong is the largest freshwater fishery in the world; however, this may be about to change. Discover in this 2010 clip how migration of fish species along the lower Mekong may be impeded by the proposed construction of dams along this mighty river. Do the economic benefits of the dam outweigh the potential loss of ...

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The Conversation: agriculture

This resource consists of a multitude of news articles and analytical pieces under the topic of agriculture. Eight articles address the many challenges of world food security, five explore the impact of predicted water and phosphorus shortages on crop yields and one article analyses the broader impact of organic farming ...

Video

ABC News: Getting your facts straight about water use

We hear a lot about water use in Australia. What are the real statistics about water use? What is the breakdown of water use for different groups across Australia? Watch this clip to find out who uses water and how much, and consider the value of water and the 'return' on this use for the Australian economy. The figures ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: New dam, new house: The Mekong

The mighty Mekong river provides a way of life for millions of people, and is arguably the most important resource in the developing country of Laos. Discover how villagers are being relocated to make way for hydropower dams on this river, which stretches for nearly 5,000 kilometres from the mountains of Tibet to Vietnam. ...

Video

ABC News: Light rail plan for western Sydney

Long lines of cars, frustrated drivers in peak traffic: familiar? As the population of Australia's major cities continues to rise and spread outwards, increased strain is placed on existing infrastructure such as roads. People often look to government to fix urban problems. Could a light rail system solve Sydney's western ...

Video

Foreign Correspondent: Power is money on the the Mekong

Discover why the Lao Government plans to build a hydropower dam at Xayaboury (Xayaburi) on the Mekong River and how neighbouring countries might react. The Mekong River Commission is attempting to maintain a balance for all users of the river. Find out why this is a difficult and complex task.

Video

BTN: World population explosion, 1996

The growth of the world's population and the pressure this places on resources and the environment is a highly debated topic. Watch this clip from 1996 to find out about the trends and concerns associated with population growth at that time, and consider how perspectives and patterns may differ today.

Video

The different faces of Indonesia

Journey through Indonesia, our most populous neighbour - a nation of contradictions. Through the images in this clip, discover more about the people and the land, including population size, living conditions, education, internal migration, natural disasters, land management and international aid. How does Indonesia differ ...

Video

Bali and Sumba: Paradise versus poverty

We all know the idyllic paradise called Bali, but have you ever heard of its poorer neighbour, the Indonesian island of Sumba, where the people struggle to grow food to eat? Watch this clip to learn about environmental conditions and agricultural challenges there. Find out also what people in Sumba are doing to prepare ...

Video

ABC 7.30: Where do we build next?

Like many Australian cities, Melbourne has been growing rapidly. This clip from 2012 investigates debates about where Melbourne's urban growth should occur. While inner city areas are slowly being redeveloped, the outer suburbs continue to sprawl and their residents battle some serious issues.

Interactive

Laptop wrap – urban growth and decline

A page with a focus on urban growth and decline as an issue in Australian environments with supporting activities and links to resources. Central to the resource is a case study of urban change in Pyrmont in Sydney.

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Design principles about place: productivity and sustainability

This is a multilayered resource that presents the 12 design principles of the Urban design protocol for Australian cities. The principles are presented in three sections and link to important information about the attributes of each of the principles. The principles about place are enhancing, connected, diverse and enduring ...

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Geological Timewalk Booklet

This 58 page booklet explores geological timescales in the context of the Australian continent. Each section discusses a single geological time interval, and outlines the major geological, climatic and biological events which occurred in that interval, including continental drift, the break-up and amalgamation of continental ...