Year 6

This sequence of learning covers the knowledge and understanding content descriptions for the Civics and Citizenship subject of the Year 6 HASS learning area in the Australian Curriculum V9.0.


Topic Focus Duration AC V9.0
1. Key values and beliefs of Western democracies What democracies have in common. 2h 45min AC9HS6K06
2. Australia and the Westminster system The origins of Australia’s system of government. 1h 10min AC9HS6K06
3. Democratic institutions in Australia The role of the Parliament, Executive and Judiciary. 1h 45min AC9HS6K06
4. Three levels of government The roles and responsibilities of the three levels of government in Australia. 1h 20min AC9HS6K07

 

Topic 1: Key values and beliefs of Western democracies (2h 45min)

Curriculum alignment
AC9HS6K06

Getting started (20 min)

Reintroduce the idea of democracy and its development with students by viewing History of Democracy – Behind the News video (3min 16s). Review the fact sheet Democracy and then create a word cloud for democracy with related terms.

Democracy around the world (15 min)

Explain to students that Australia is not the only democracy in the world. Our version of democracy in Australia is part of a bigger tradition called Western democracy. A Western democracy is a country whose democratic system specifically grew from European traditions – originally Ancient Greece and more recently the United Kingdom. In addition to Australia, many other countries are considered to be Western democracies, such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and many European nations.

Other countries, like Indonesia, India, Japan and South Africa, are also democracies, but their democratic traditions have developed differently over time, affecting how democracy is practised, governed and experienced by citizens.

Watch the video What is democracy and how did it start? - Behind the News (3min 18s). (Note: this video was published in 2024. While some events mentioned may not be current, the explanation of key concepts – such as the different types of government and international forms of democracy – remain accurate and very useful for this lesson).

Discuss the following question with your class after viewing:

  • how do some countries practice democracy differently to Australia?

Western democratic beliefs and values (10 min)

Australia shares many beliefs and values with other Western democracies. Values such as freedom, equality and fairness underpin democratic beliefs about active citizenship, inclusive societies, free elections and the rule of law.

Display the Four key ideas of Australian democracy graphic and discuss.

Learn it, teach it, quiz it (2 h)

Divide your class into small groups. Assign each group 1 of the 4 democratic ideas shown in the graphic.

Students work within their groups to prepare an explanation of the assigned democratic idea that includes the following:

  • definition – define the democratic idea in your own words.
  • example – provide an example of this democratic idea in action.
  • significance – explain why this democratic idea matters.

Each group then becomes the ‘expert’ of that democratic idea and presents their explanation to the class.

After presenting, each group provides 3 multiple-choice questions to the teacher (one for each piece of information: definition, example, significance). Each question should include 4 answer options, with one correct answer. 

The teacher collates all questions into a single class quiz, which can be either printed for students to complete on paper or created as an interactive quiz using a digital tool or online platform.

Once the quiz is created, all students complete it to check their understanding of key democratic ideas.

Topic 2: Australia and the Westminster system (1h 10min)

Curriculum alignment
AC9HS6K06

Getting started (10 min)

Explain to students that in addition to sharing the beliefs and values of Western democracy, Australia’s Parliament is based on the Westminster system.

The Westminster system is a form of government that developed in England during the Middle Ages and takes its name from the Palace of Westminster, where the British Parliament meets. This system places parliament at the centre of decision-making rather than concentrating power in one individual.

When Australia became a nation in 1901, the decision was made to base the new parliament on this system because it was already familiar, well-understood and used in many parts of the British empire. As a result, Australia adapted many Westminster traditions, structures and symbols. Some of these connections are easy to see, such as the layout and design of parliamentary chambers and the use of ceremonial roles and objects. Other similarities are less visible and relate to how Parliament works day to day – for example, how debates are run, how laws are made and how leaders are chosen and held accountable.

However, Australia did not copy the Westminster system exactly. Instead, Australia made decisions about what to keep and what to do differently.

Observe and Compare (1 h)

In this activity, students will explore some of the visible features of both the Australian Parliament and the Westminster Parliament. By closely observing buildings, chambers, roles and symbols, students can see how Australia’s Parliament reflects its Westminster origins while also developing its own identity as a modern, democratic nation. This means that while students will notice many similarities, it is just as important for them to notice differences.

Print and display the Australia and Westminster features information cards placing them randomly and spaced throughout an appropriate learning space. Working in pairs, students select a card and then search for its corresponding Australian or Westminster match. Students examine the photograph and read the text of both cards before completing the relevant row in the table in Observe and compare: Australia and Westminster worksheet.

Once students have completed the worksheet, discuss with the class their observations and comparisons.

Going Further

Students can conduct further research on any features that particularly interest them. Use the following Australian Parliament focused fact sheets and video resources from the PEO website to get started:

Students can present their findings to the class.

Topic 3: Democratic institutions in Australia (1h 45min)

Curriculum alignment
AC9HS6K06

Getting started (15 min)

Explain to students that in a democracy, laws are central to how a country is governed. A government needs to make laws, put the laws into action and make sure that laws are being followed correctly. In Australia, there are 3 institutions (groups) that carry out these jobs:

  • Parliament
    • Makes and changes laws.
    • In Australia, the Parliament includes:
      • the King (represented by the Governor-General)
      • the Senate
      • the House of Representatives.
  • Executive
    • Puts laws into action.
    • In Australia, the Executive includes:
      • the King (represented by the Governor-General)
      • the Prime Minister
      • ministers.
  • Judiciary
    • Makes judgements about the law.
    • In Australia, the Judiciary includes courts such as:
      • the High Court of Australia
      • other federal courts.

Create a poster (1h 30min)

Students demonstrate their understanding of the 3 key institutions of Australia’s system of government by explaining what each institution does in a clear, visual format.

The poster should include:

  • a clear title.
  • the name of each institution
  • an explanation of what each institution does
  • at least one visual element for each institution.

Topic 4: Three Levels of Government (1h 20min)

Curriculum alignment
AC9HS6K07

Getting started (5 min)

A system of government is the structure by which a country is run. One of the features of Australia’s system of government is that it is a federation of states. This means that when the six colonies joined together in 1901, they agreed to divide power between a national government and state governments. To make this work, Australia has three levels of government that cooperate to provide laws and services for everyone.

Three Levels of Government (30 min)

As a class, watch the Three levels of government video (2min 22s). Ask students to summarise in their own words:

  • what are the roles of each of the three levels of government?
  • what are the responsibilities of the three levels of government?

See if the student answers match the summary provided on The responsibilities of the three levels of government graphic.

In small groups, students play the Federal, state and local interactive.

Consolidate class understanding by playing the Three levels of government quiz or Three levels of government Kahoot!

Major event taskforce activity (45 min)

As a class, watch the ABC Behind the News Levels of government video (3min 38s). Undertake the Explore the three levels of government Classroom activity. In this activity students will investigate the responsibilities of each level of government by forming taskforces to respond to major events. Complete the discussion questions at the end of the activity as a class.

 

 

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