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Civics and Citizenship 7-10 / Year 9 / Knowledge and understanding / Laws and citizens

Curriculum content descriptions

the key features and jurisdictions of Australia’s court system, and the operations of courts and tribunals (AC9HC9K03)

Elaborations
  • locating information about the matters that some of the different courts and tribunals deal with and how they enact the law and resolve disputes, and developing a summary for a state jurisdiction and the federal jurisdiction; for example, the Magistrates Court is the first level of the court system and most criminal cases and civil actions commence at this court
  • creating a visual representation of the Australian court system and each court’s jurisdiction and place in the relevant hierarchy; for example, The High Court is the highest court in Australia and decides cases of special federal significance, including challenges to the constitutional validity of laws, and hears appeals from federal, state and territory courts decisions
  • using sample cases to investigate the differences between civil and criminal law, and how the courts apply and interpret criminal laws and resolve civil disputes
  • exploring how court judgements impact on the development of law; such as the role of statutory interpretation and the creation of precedent; for example, the decision in the Mabo Case (1992) overturned the legal concept of terra nullius and established the concept of native title
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Common law,  Court procedures,  Jurisdiction,  Law

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Year 9: Our democratic rights

This collection of resource sheets focus on the movement of peoples in the early period of the Western Australian colony, including the operation of Parkhurst Apprenticeship scheme. Guided research activities explore key features of Australia's court system and the key principles of the Australian justice system. The resources ...

Video

The Australian Dream: Racism

This clip highlights Adam Goodes’s belief that the whole community needs to work together to put an end to racism. Through the heartbreaking story of Nicky Winmar and Gilbert McAdam, you'll get an insight into how far we've come in tackling racism, but Adam shows us how far we still have to go. Find out how people used ...

Video

The Australian Dream: Resilience and reconciliation

This clip looks at casual racism in Australia, including some infamous incidents throughout Adam Goodes’s playing career that shook the nation. Adam showed a great deal of resilience and courage throughout this difficult time. Look at how many Australians stood with Adam, letting him know they valued his leadership and ...

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Government

This fact sheet explores the role and functions of the Australian Government, including who is in the government, how it is formed, minority government and the principle of responsible government.

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.

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 ...

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Ministers and shadow ministers

This fact sheet investigates the work of ministers (members of the Australian Government with special responsibilities) and shadow ministers (members of the opposition who closely examine the work of the government).

Video

Tour of NSW Government House

This resource is a YouTube playlist containing a series of videos taken as a group of senior high school students are given a guided tour of NSW Government House in 2010. The tour covers primary sources such as architecture, furniture and images significant to the history of Australia and NSW.

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Separation of powers

The principle of the separation of powers distributes the power to govern between the Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary. This fact sheet examines the role of each group and the related principle of responsible government.

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Australian Constitution in focus

The Australian Constitution is the legal framework for how Australia is governed. This article explores in detail the history of the Constitution, its key features and the High Court’s role in interpreting it. The page describes processes for amending the Constitution including through referendum as well as two case studies ...

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Three levels of government: governing Australia

In Australia the three levels of government work together to provide us with the services we need. This webpage provides a detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities of each level, how they raise money and how they work together. Case studies show how the powers of the Australian Parliament have expanded.

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Making a law in the Australian Parliament

This fact sheet explains the law-making process in the Australian Parliament. It also describes where ideas for laws come from and the history of law-making in the Parliament.

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Refugee analysis from The Conversation

This is a collection of 200+ articles about refugees. It includes articles about the Australian government’s refugee policy over time, policies and approaches internationally, articles on the western Europe migrant crisis of 2015, “explainers” on why refugee intake number vary across Europe, and a long-read essay by Julian ...

Video

Get involved

Explore the ways ordinary Australians can get involved in the work of Parliament with this short video (6:25 min). Find out how you can get informed about the work of the Parliament, the role of petitioning and ways to participate in parliamentary inquiries.

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Cabinet

Cabinet is the top-level decision-making group within the Australian Government. Find out more about who is in Cabinet and how it works with this fact sheet.

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Gender equality analysis from The Conversation

This is a collection of 40+ articles about gender equality. It includes articles about women in corporate leadership, work-life balance for men and women, policy responses to domestic violence in South Africa, the implications of gender bias in higher education, role of childcare in promoting equality and others. The articles ...

Online

Australia's Trade through Time

Using an interactive timeline created by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides 12 series of learning experiences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian trade from 1900 to the present day. Students study videos, tables, images and texts in order ...

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The Conversation - Indigenous collection

This is a series of short journalistic articles written by academic experts and researchers that provide facts, commentary, and independent analysis about issues, policies and culture relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The articles support student investigations and in-depth studies of issues relevant ...

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: 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.