How tax contributes to community and civic life
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Introduction
Students consider the importance of people as models to be emulated in a productive society and they explore the role of government in acknowledging and promoting such models. They form views on the social importance of tax-funded award systems that recognise contributions made to the community and civic life and they examine the role of government in providing taxpayer grants and services that enable people to contribute.
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 9, students analyse the role of the Australian Constitution, the federal system of government, and the process and reasons for constitutional change. They explain policy development and legislative processes in Australia’s democracy. They identify the key features and jurisdictions of Australia’s court system and explain the role and processes of courts and tribunals. Students identify the reasons individuals and groups participate in and contribute to civic life nationally and globally. They explain the influence of the media on reflections of identity and diversity.
Students develop a range of questions and locate, select and compare information from sources to investigate political and legal systems, and contemporary civic issues. They analyse information to explain perspectives and challenges related to political, legal or civic issues. Students identify and evaluate the methods or strategies related to civic participation or action. Students use civics and citizenship knowledge, concepts and terms to develop descriptions, explanations and evidence-based arguments.
Content descriptions
Civics and Citizenship Knowledge and Understanding
How and why individuals and groups, including community, religious and cultural groups, participate in and contribute to civic life in Australia and to global citizenship. (AC9HC9K05)
Civics and Citizenship Skills
Develop and modify questions to investigate Australia’s political and legal systems, and contemporary civic issues. (AC9HC9S01)
Locate, select and compare information, data and ideas from a range of sources. (AC9HC9S02)
Analyse information, data and ideas about political, legal or civic issues to identify and evaluate differences in perspectives and interpretations. (AC9HC9S03)
Evaluate the methods or strategies related to making decisions about civic participation. (AC9HC9S04)
Create descriptions, explanations and arguments using civics and citizenship knowledge, concepts and terms that incorporate evidence. (AC9HC9S05)
Teacher resources
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GrantConnect - Discovery and Grants Awarded
Should Unearthed be funded by taxpayers?
Student learning resources
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Australian of the Year
Triple J Unearthed Jukebox
Writing paragraphs in Civics and Citizenship
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Suggested activity sequence
This sequence is intended as a framework to be modified and adapted by teachers to suit the needs of a class group. If you assign this activity to a class, your students will be assigned all student resources on their 'My learning' page. You can also hand-pick the resources students are assigned by selecting individual resources when you add a work item to a class in 'My classes'.
Part A: Exploring how and why people are recognised for their contributions to community and civic life
- Explain that the students are going to reflect on their own lives and note that their reflections will remain private.
- Provide students with the following questions, allowing time between each question for students to record and reflect on their response:
- Who is a person you admire and consider to be a model in your life?
- For the nominated person, what qualities do you value?
- How do you think the valued qualities might influence you and who you want to be?
- Post the statement: ‘Society needs models and the qualities demonstrated by models influence the behaviour of many people’.
- Explain that the class is going to test the statement by examining the achievements of the most recent Australians of the Year.
- In pairs, students complete the worksheet.
- Pose the discussion question: Should taxpayer revenue be used to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of individuals to the community and civic life?
- Set students the individual task of writing a one paragraph response to the question. The response must use examples to illustrate each point made.
In preparation for the task, review the literacy demands of constructing a paragraph using Writing paragraphs in Civics and Citizenship – Model.
Part B: Exploring government use of revenue to support contributions to community and civic life
- Explain that governments in Australia provide a wide range of grants and services that contribute directly to community and civic life.
- Play the first section (25 seconds) of GrantConnect – Discovery and Grants awarded. This video explains how the Australian Government supports individuals and businesses and the purpose of GrantConnect.
Ask students to note:
- the amount of tax revenue distributed in grants
- examples of the way grants assist people to contribute to the Australian community.
- Ask students for the meaning of the terms ‘public sector’ and ‘private sector’ as they relate to services provided to the community.
Note: public services are mostly funded by tax revenue and are commonly provided where needs are not met by the private sector.
- Explain that the class is going to consider whether ‘Unearthed’, the youth music service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) should be taxpayer funded.
- Set the homework task of selecting a favourite track on the Unearthed Jukebox. The class will vote on the track to be played during the following lesson.
- Use a grouping strategy to organise students into groups of 3 or 4.
- Display the research task using the visualiser.
- When students have completed their research task, collate the group responses and pose the following question for discussion:
Should the government use taxpayer revenue to fund grants and services that contribute to community and civic life?
During class discussion draw on views from the collated group responses.
- Set students the individual task of writing a one paragraph response to the question. The response must use examples to illustrate the points made.
Refer students to Writing paragraphs in Civics and Citizenship – Model.