AC9HC8K01 Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences

Content descriptor how Australians are informed about and participate in democracy

Elaborations

• • Elaboration investigating how Australians can participate in democracy, such as voting in elections, contacting their elected representatives, joining political parties and standing as candidates, and using lobby groups and taking direct action
• • Elaboration explaining how who can vote and have a say in Australian democracy has changed since Federation, and the importance of an independent electoral service such as the Australian Electoral Commission
• • Elaboration examining the issues of concern to young people in Australia today and investigating different ways they are seeking to influence political processes in addressing these issues
• • Elaboration analysing case studies of citizen participation in political campaigns such as the Uluru Statement from the Heart
• • Elaboration explaining how citizens’ understanding of issues, policies and political choices are shaped and can contribute to active and informed citizenship, including the influence of the media and social media, political parties, interest groups and election campaigns
• • Elaboration examining a range of strategies used to influence citizens’ electoral choices, such as public debate, media and social media, opinion polls and political consulting firms, advertising, interest groups and political party campaigns