Making laws with a case study of tax
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Introduction
Students explore the relationship between voters in a representative democracy, the ways laws are made, and the process of a bill becoming a law from the stage of an idea to Royal Assent. They participate in a mock parliamentary debate on a tax bill in order to understand the nature of parliamentary debates.
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 8, students analyse features of Australian democracy, and explain features of Australia’s democracy that enable active participation. They recognise different types of law in Australia and explain how laws are made. They identify the diverse belief systems in Australia and analyse issues about national identity and the factors that contribute to people’s sense of belonging.
When researching, students develop a range of questions to investigate Australia’s political and legal systems and critically analyse information gathered from different sources for relevance. They explain different points of view on civics and citizenship issues. When planning for action, students take into account multiple perspectives, use democratic processes, and develop solutions to an issue. Students develop and present reasoned arguments on civics and citizenship issues using appropriate texts, subject-specific language and concepts. They identify ways they can be active and informed citizens in different contexts.
Content descriptions
Civics and Citizenship Knowledge and Understanding
How citizens can participate in Australia’s democracy, including use of the electoral system, contact with their elected representatives, use of lobby groups, and direct action (ACHCK062).
How laws are made in Australia through parliaments (statutory law) and through the courts (common law) (ACHCK063).
Civics and Citizenship Skills
Identify, gather and sort information and ideas from a range of sources (ACHCS069).
Appreciate multiple perspectives and use strategies to mediate differences (ACHCS071).
Use democratic processes to reach consensus on a course of action relating to a civics or citizenship issue and plan for that action (ACHCS072).
Present evidence-based civics and citizenship arguments using subject-specific language (ACHCS073).
Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australia’s democracy (ACHCS074).
Teacher resources
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What is Parliament?
Forming government and the role of political parties and independents
Making a law
Sugar tax bill
Student learning resources
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Poster evaluation
Writing paragraphs in Civics and Citizenship
Playing Parliament
Other resources you might like
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 the nature of representative democracy
- Pose the question: What does the term ‘democracy’ mean?
- Explain that the systems of government in Australia have their origins in Ancient Greece where the male citizens of Athens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena.
- Describe the difference between a direct democracy and a representative democracy, that is, that systems in which all citizens have a right to vote on a government decision is called a ‘direct democracy’, while modern democratic systems have developed to be ‘representative democracies’. In a representative democracy, citizens vote for a member of a parliament who will represent their interests and make laws on their behalf.
- Play: What is Parliament? This video outlines the structure and key functions of the Australian Parliament.
- Students complete a See-Think-Wonder visible thinking routine.
- As a class, discuss the following question: Should members of a parliament represent the values of the community who elected them? Why?
- As students share their thoughts and views, record them on the board.
- Students refer to Writing paragraphs in Civics and Citizenship - Model to write a paragraph describing the responsibilities of members of parliament to represent the community who elected them and why people should be informed when they vote.
Part B: Exploring how parliament works
- Display and explain the information on the forming government visualiser to introduce the formation of government and the role of political parties and independents.
- Invite students to write short definitions of the terms explored on the visualiser:
- major parties
- minor parties and independents
- majority government
- the opposition
- hung parliament
- minority government.
- Explain that the Australian Parliament and most state and territory parliaments are bicameral, meaning that they have an upper house and a lower house. In general, the lower house prepares and moves legislation (Bills) and the upper house reviews the legislation.
- Play: Making a law. This video provides an overview of the law-making process of the Australian Parliament.
- As a class, read and talk through elements of the poster evaluation tool.
- Students design and publish a poster to explain the law-making process.
- Hold a class ‘poster session’ where students use the poster evaluation tool to provide feedback on other students’ posters.
Part C: Participating in a mock parliament on a sugar tax Bill
- Advise students that they will be part of a ‘House of Representatives’ in the classroom and will conduct a ‘first reading’ debate of a Bill designed to apply a sugar tax on all sugar-sweetened non-alcoholic beverages.
- Use the Sugar tax Bill–Visualiser to present the scenario to the class. Discuss the fact that in this case, there is a minority government, so both the government and the opposition must convince the cross-benchers of their position if they want to win the debate.
- Divide the class as follows:
- independents– 2 students
- minor party (TPP)–3 to 4students
- split the remaining students equally between the government (AWP) and the opposition (AKP).
Refer to The Parliamentary Education Office’s Make a law: House of Representatives if you want to replicate the parliamentary process.
- Party members consult and draft speeches. Members of each party research information relevant to their case and assist with the preparation of speeches. Students use Playing Parliament - Student instructions to guide their research. When the teacher support is necessary, questions, documents and links are provided to scaffold students’ research.
- Speeches are presented to Parliament by a member of each party. Encourage students to nominate to be the spokesperson and then for party members to vote on who will speak on their behalf.
- Following the House of Representatives first reading debate, the Speaker conducts a vote of members.
- Speaker announces the decision of the House to either pass the first reading or not.
- Discuss what other steps the Bill needs to go through to become a law.
- Think-pair-share: Would the outcome (including amendments to the Bill) have been different if the:
- government held a majority
- cross-bench voted differently.
- Students individually write an explanation of the significance of a parliamentary majority, a hung parliament and minority government to passing laws. Encourage them to draw on their experience of their hypothetical parliamentary debate