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Civics and Citizenship Links
Civics knowledge and understanding of civic institutions and processes
Government
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia website contains information about the workings of the Parliament with records of proceedings, live broadcasts, links to members, current inquiries and historical information. There are links to the Parliamentary Education Office.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Upper Secondary
Parliamentary Education Office
The Parliamentary Education Office assists students and teachers to understand the significance of the Australian Parliament, understand how the Australian Parliament works, and to take an active role as citizens in our democracy. The website provides information about its programs and resources.
LEVEL: Middle Primary to Upper Secondary
Documenting Democracy
This website has an ambitious aim – to trace the development of Australian democracy through the key documents directing the constitutional paths taken so far. You can explore the documentary records of Australia’s eight governments, trace a theme, a timeline or examine the photo gallery.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Upper Secondary
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
The principal matters that the Department deals with are coordination of government administration, assistance to Cabinet and its committees, policy advice and administrative support to the Prime Minister, intergovernmental relations and communications with State and Territory governments, and government ceremonial and hospitality. This site contains links to a range of current discussion and related websites.
LEVEL: Upper Secondary
The following discussion papers cover a range of issues related to Australia's democratic society. They can be located in the archive section of the Democratic Audit of Australia website.
Australian Political Parties in the Spotlight
Dean Jaensch and others look at the problems in party funding and the issue of internal party democracy.
Australian Electoral Systems – How Well Do They Serve Political Equality?
Graeme Orr asks who should be able to vote, what kinds of voting systems should be adopted, how campaigning might be better regulated, and how money politics and incumbency benefits can be controlled.
How Democratic Is Parliament? A Case Study in Auditing the Performance of Parliaments
John Uhr looks at a range of issues such as the number of private members’ bills and the nature of Question Time in the House of Representatives. He ranks these in line with four key values – political equality, popular control of government, civil liberties and human rights and public deliberation.
Getting Elected as an Independent: Electoral Laws and Party Favouritism
Jennifer Curtin looks at how the unevenness of the playing field for independent candidates makes it difficult for them to compete with party members and candidates.
Determining Parliamentary Parties – A Real Status Symbol
Norm Kelly examines the advantages that accrue to a minor party that gains party status in Parliament. Now that the Australian Democrats have lost party status in the Senate, Kelly’s paper outlines the significance of additional resources and salaries, media staff, travel and postal allowances.
This is a site well worth checking for relevant articles on a regular basis and makes good background reading on civics topics and discussion articles for senior students.
The Australian Senate: Annotated Websites
The Senate: A Short Description
This page from the Parliament of Australia’s website provides a good account of the Senate’s structure, powers and responsibilities. It covers the issue of federalism and how this underpins the Australian political system. The resolution of deadlocks with the House of Representatives is explained, as is the work of a senator beyond the chamber.
House of Representatives Infosheets
A comprehensive set of information sheets from the Parliament of Australia website.
There are 21 documents, all available in PDF, covering all aspects of the working of the House, from Questions, Committees, the Budget and the Main Committee, through to elections, petitions and double dissolutions. There is something here to satisfy the most dedicated devotee of parliamentary arcana.
Glossary of Parliamentary Words
A good list of parliamentary terms and definitions. Ever wondered what a cognate debate is? How about a deliberative vote? This single-page list also contains concise explanations of the most commonly used political terms, such as parliamentary government, as well as explanations of the functions of parliamentary officers such as the Speaker, the Usher of the Black Rod and the Governor-General.
A good account of the types of Senate Committees, their role and value, from the Parliament of Australia website. It explains the difference between Select, Standing and Domestic committees and lists which committees deal with various government departments. The ways in which legislation and proposed government expenditure is considered is also covered.
Sources of Parliamentary Information
This page from the Australian Parliamentary Library site is a handy quick reference that is worth bookmarking. It provides links to all the State and Territory parliaments, as well as world legislatures. Additionally, it provides a range of historical information and political trivia. Hours of fun for the political devotee!
Electoral system
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) conducts federal elections and referendums and maintains the Commonwealth Electoral Roll. The website includes information on electorates, election results, elected members and resources for schools.
LEVEL: Teachers, Lower Secondary to Upper Secondary
Australian Politics
This comprehensive site offers a wealth of information for teachers and students. There are sections on democracy, constitution, parliament, executive, elections, parties, pressure groups and foreign policy. There are also links to items of specific use to students, for example VCE topics, essay topics, short answer questions and worksheets.
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Secondary
Legal
The High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the highest court in the Australian judicial system. Its website contains detailed explanations of the role of the court, its history and the development of its work, a list of the Justices with brief biographies, and records and transcripts of their speeches. It also has a 'virtual tour' facility that provides a tour of the courtrooms and a view of the surrounds.
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Secondary
The Australian Flag
The Australian National Flag Association
This site operated by the Australian National Flag Association aims to teach people about the significance of our national symbol. There are suggested activities for National Flag Day (3 September).
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Primary
Ausflag
This site has information on the history of the Australian National and State Flags and discussions and debates about changing the Australian Flag.
LEVEL: Upper Primary-Middle Secondary
Australia Day and Citizenship
Australian Citizenship Day
The Australian Government’s Department of Immigration, Multiculturalism and Indigenous Affairs provides information about Australian Citizenship. The Australian Citizenship Day Teaching Resource encourages young Australians to think about the values underpinning Australian citizenship and the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship. This can be helpful for celebrating Australian Citizenship Day, September 17.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Middle Secondary
National Australia Day Council
The National Australia Day Council is the coordinating body for the Australian of the Year Awards and Australia Day celebrations across the nation.
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Primary
Citizenship: Dispositions and skills for participation
Human Rights
Amnesty International Australia
Amnesty International is a not-for-profit organisation committed to campaigning for access to human rights for every person. Their website gives details of current campaigns, latest reports, action ideas and links to other human rights sites. There are resources for teachers and students to explore a wide range of human rights topics in a creative and dynamic way and resources for taking action about the issues.
LEVEL: Lower to Upper Secondary
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) is an independent statutory organisation which reports to the federal Parliament through the Attorney-General. Its goal is to foster greater understanding and protection of human rights in Australia. The website has detailed information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, Disability Rights, Racial Discrimination and Sex Discrimination. There are many useful resources for teachers and students including Face the Facts – Questions and Answers about Refugees, Migrants and Indigenous People.
LEVEL: Lower to Upper Secondary
Racism. No way!
This website contains a large amount of information on such themes as culture, ethnicity, history of migration, recognising and understanding racism, and reconciliation. There are also a large number of classroom teaching and learning activities with downloadable worksheets. The student section includes comics, competitions, graffiti wall, puzzles and quizzes.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Middle Secondary
This section of the Australian National Museum’s website explores Indigenous Australia through storytelling, cultures and histories. There is useful information on the cultural heritage, spirituality, families, land and social justice of Indigenous Australians. There is a range of useful information and links for teachers and students.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Upper Secondary
Department of Immigration and Indigenous and Multicultural Affairs
This Australian Government website provides current information on all matters related to visiting and/or gaining residency in Australia. There is a broad range of policy and background information regarding multiculturalism, refugees, humanitarian entrants and asylum seekers and Indigenous Australians
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Secondary
Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia is the non-government, not-for-profit foundation to provide a continuing national focus for reconciliation. There are links to wide range of current activities throughout Australia.
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Secondary
Immigration and Refugee Issues
A Just Australia
A Just Australia is the theme of the campaign coordinated by national campaign umbrella group, Australians for Just Refugee Programs Inc. It is a national campaign which incorporates a series of public awareness activities including public events, meetings, advertising, lobbying in Canberra, research, letter writing and protest actions. The website gives information on current events, newsletters, policies and texts of media releases.
LEVEL: Middle to Upper Secondary
AUSTCARE
AUSTCARE is a non government organisation which assists refugees, displaced people and those affected by landmines to rebuild their lives. Their website provides general information about the issues and specific programs in countries such as Cambodia, Nepal, Timor-Leste, Sudan. Kenya etc.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Middle Secondary
Harmony Day
Living in Harmony is an Australian Government initiative designed to promote community harmony, build relationships between people and address racism where it occurs in Australia. The website contains general information for the celebration of Harmony Day, 21 March.
LEVEL: Middle Primary to Middle Secondary
Refugee Council of Australia
The Refugee Council of Australia provides information on and advocacy for refugees and humanitarian entrants to Australia. It is not a government agency. The website has up-to-date facts and figures and discussions on current issues.
LEVEL: Lower to Upper Secondary
General resources
Film Australia
Film Australia produces television documentaries and educational programs. The website includes the online library with a huge Teacher Notes section. You can download PDF files and order teacher notes and titles for short and long films and television series. Subjects include Australian biography, civil rights, immigration, federation, Indigenous affairs, East Timor and a large range of social issues.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Upper Secondary
The National Centre for History Education
This site contains information and resources that have been developed for primary and secondary school teachers who are involved in the teaching of history. The site contains 0zhistorybytes (an online journal containing new resources for secondary students), a professional digest with a range of professional development articles, and information on professional development in each State and Territory including the Graduate Diploma in Arts (History Education). In the middle of the year a new History Guide for teachers and new primary and secondary history curriculum materials will appear.
LEVEL: Middle Primary to Upper Secondary
Australian Federation of Societies for Studies of Society and the Environment (AFSSSE)
This website has links to the wide range of social studies issues including resources for teachers and students under the Discovering Democracy Project. Resources include senior secondary case studies on the history of democracy and enterprise education, Australian identity, taking environmental action and population, representation, political affiliations, demographics and immigration. Other case studies demonstrate classroom practice include unit plans on researching your first parliamentarian, post and rail, enterprise education as well as teachers handbooks on the Parliament at Work CD-ROM.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Upper Secondary
Values Education
This website is a dynamic portal for Australian school communities to find out more about the Australian government’s Values Education initiatives. The website includes the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools, information about the Values Education Study, resources for values education and information about current events.
LEVEL: General
Studies of Asia
The Access Asia website contains a wide variety of materials for studies of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. There is a range of teaching and learning activities provided for primary and secondary teachers across a range of key learning areas, information on professional development activities, and information and online support for the range of print resources including Voices and Values: Citizenship in Asia and Anthologies of Asia. The site also hosts an active discussion group, AsiaEdnet.
LEVEL: Lower Primary to Middle Secondary
Chinese History of Australian Federation
The Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation Project celebrates the contribution of Australia’s Chinese communities to the early founding and subsequent development of Australia. It focuses on the private, community and public life of Australia's Chinese communities before and after Federation in 1901. The education link includes primary source materials and lesson plans for junior and middle secondary students developed around topics such as 'Active citizenship', 'Chinese communities', 'Federation and the early Commonwealth', and 'Political voices in the Chinese– Australian community in the late 19th century'.
LEVEL: Lower to Middle Secondary
Elections Worldwide
This website provides an electoral calendar and information about parties and parliaments in countries around the world as well as links to relevant websites for further research.
This website provides an electoral calendar and information about parties and parliaments in countries around the world as well as links to relevant websites for further research.
LEVEL: Lower to Middle Secondary
CIA World Factbook
This annually updated website has extensive information on each country’s people, geography, economy and governmental structure.
LEVEL: Upper Primary to Middle Secondary
