Civics and citizenship / Year 8 / Civics and Citizenship Knowledge and Understanding / Laws and citizens

Curriculum content descriptions

How laws are made in Australia through parliaments (statutory law) and through the courts (common law) (ACHCK063)

Elaborations
  • comparing some examples of statutes and common laws and the way they are made and outlining the hierarchy of these different types of laws (for example, that statutes will override the common law)
  • distinguishing statutory and common law from executive law (delegated law) and identifying how the Houses of Parliament can disallow delegated legislation
  • discussing examples of recent laws passed through parliaments that enact government policy
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Legislation,  Acts of Parliament,  Bills of Parliament,  Common law,  Legal precedent

Online

Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum Year 8 unit of work

The activities and assessments in the unit will help develop students’ understanding of how citizens can participate in a democratic society and the different types of law.

Online

Make a law: House of Representatives

Discover how bills—proposed laws—are introduced, debated and voted on in the House of Representatives by turning your class into a Parliament and doing it yourself! This lesson plan outlines the steps to run a role play in the classroom and includes a video illustrating the process, teacher notes, class preparation and ...

Online

Make a law: Senate

Discover how bills—proposed laws—are introduced, debated and voted on in the Senate by turning your class into a Parliament and doing it yourself! This lesson plan outlines the steps to run a role play in the classroom and includes a video illustrating the process, teacher notes, class preparation and plans for making the ...

Interactive

Quizzes

Test your students with these quizzes about the Australian Parliament. Topics include the three levels of government, separation of powers and the Australian Constitution.

Online

Magna Carta: The story of our freedom

This is a resource about the Magna Carta (Great Charter) agreed between King John and his rebellious barons in 1215 and its influence on the development of human rights and democratic freedoms to the present day. The resource consists of: an animated infographic ‘Tell the story’ with hyperlinks to further information; an ...

Online

Sensory Experience

This is a website about how the treatment and mainstream understanding of deaf and blind people has changed overtime. The resource has three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are 16 Story Objects that tell the stories of individuals, events and artefacts of deaf and ...

Online

Australian Constitution

This fact sheet summarises the key features of the Australian Constitution— the set of rules by which Australia is run—and how it can be changed.

Interactive

Making a Nation: changing the Constitution

This interactive resource looks at the creation of the Australian Constitution and then explores the process used to change it - referendum. Information on several referendums is presented (1910, 1937, 1967, 1984) but, in a case study, students investigate the 1951 anti-communism referendum in more detail. The seven activities ...

Text

Drug Crime and the Law

This sequence of four lesson ideas focuses on the concept that Australia's social wellbeing is enhanced when individuals understand the behaviours and laws associated with being responsible citizens, and report signs of illicit criminal drug activity to the appropriate authorities. This resource provides the opportunity ...

Interactive

Discovering democracy: what sort of nation?

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore what has influenced the sort of nation Australia is and how it has changed over time. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: law

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore the struggles of Indigenous Australians for land rights. Look in particular at the early land rights petition of 1963 and the roles played by Vincent Lingiari and Eddie Mabo. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: getting things done

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore how change can be bought about by people taking action and putting pressure on their elected representatives. The issue of the Franklin Dam in Tasmania is used as a case study. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: human rights

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore the historical development of human rights and how they are upheld in Australia. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: a democracy destroyed

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore, through the demise of democracy in Germany in 1933, how the justice system can be used for undemocratic purposes. Complete a related task.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: parties control parliament

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore the role political parties and independents have in Australia. Learn about some of fundamental principles underpinning the major parties. Complete a related task.

Online

Australian reported crime victims since 2010 - dataset

This is a dataset that provides statistics about crimes reported by victims from 2010 to the latest year of available data. It is periodically updated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The dataset is in MS Excel format.

Interactive

Federal Parliament history timeline

This interactive timeline explores key milestones in the history of Australia's Parliament that led to federation and how the work of Parliament has influenced Australian democratic development since 1901. The timeline allows users to explore the milestones chronologically or follow thematic trails. Selected milestones ...