Civics & Citizenship
Government
Democracy
Parliament
Laws
Identity
Societies
Participation
The 5 Freedoms
The 5 freedoms are the rights and freedoms of people that have been set as a standard for laws by the United Nations
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of movement
- Freedom of association
- Freedom of speech
Multi faith
Multicultural
Secular
What is democracy?
Democracy is a system of government in which people have power to make decisions, particularly in respect of laws.
People can believe what or who they want. Like a higher power
People can move and live wherever they want
People can gather in groups in accordance with that law
People can meet with other people and form groups
People can say what they want and have opinions in accordance with the law
Voting
Compulsory voting
Pros
Cons
Makes sure everyone has a say
Increases voter turnout
The outcome represents everyone
People only voting because they have to
People might just vote randomly because they don't care
Ill-informed people voting affecting who should actually be elected
Representative democracy
What is voting?
A formal indication of a choice between two or more candidates expressed through a ballot.
Ways to participate
Petitioning
Protesting
Contacting parliament
Creating or joining a political party
Petitions are formal written requests, generally signed by many people, appealing to authority regarding a particular cause
Protests are public displays of disapproval or objection to something
People can contact their federal, state or local representative to inform them of something
A political party is a group of people who share the same ideals, beliefs,and values and who want to elect representatives to the parliament to form the government
These movements often include large groups of people with signs rallying in public place
To effectively act on behalf of their electorate a representative should listen and respond to the needs and concerns of the people in that electorate and if appropriate convey these within parliament to the ministers responsible
Types
Traditional/customary Law
Sources
Civil
Criminal
Statutory
Common
Laws made by the courts
Statutory law is the legislation created by parliament
Laws regulates people’s behaviour within society as a whole.
Set of laws regulates people’s behaviour with other individuals.
Can be created when there is no legislation or law in place for deciding whether an action is lawful or not and a judge has to rule on the matter based of facts and circumstances
Can be created by a judge's interpretation of legislation and can create a new application of that law
Aspects
Common law is not official but judges and courts partially base their ruling off past rulings by other judges
New common laws are created by the judge when the judgement is handed down
Parliament is the supreme law making body
Creation of laws
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A bill is an idea for a law or a draft law
- The executive parliament decides a policy then drafts and introduces bills to parliament
- Bills are considered by parliament. In order for a bill to be passed, the house of representatives and the senate must approve it.
- If the bill is passed by the parliament, the bills are approved by the governor-general
- Bills become acts of parliament and therefore laws, which are administered by government departments
Aspects
Parliament can change the laws made by courts and subordinate authorities as long as it has the jurisdiction
Legislation can be created by both state and federal parliament
Aboriginal law
Traditional or customary law reflects common forms of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours within first nations communities
First nations law is not universally applied across from area to area and from time to time
Aboriginal law or lore is a complex mix of beliefs, traditions, customs, history and kinship systems that is unique to each first nations group
A structured and formal implementation of traditional and customary practices has not yet been included within the western Australian legal system
Features of Australia's first nations law
Orally based
Based on rituals and traditions
Based on kinship ties
There is agreement on laws throughout the whole group
Public wrongs
Prosecuted by the state
Right to counsel
Proof beyond reasonable right
Defendant has the right to silence
Penalties or sanctums based on the seriousness of the offence
Private matters
Private parties file suit
Preponderance of evidance
Must hire attorney
Defendant may be forced to testify
Penalties based on circumstances
Examples
Examples
Murder
Drunk driving
Driving an unregistered vehicle
Finding a maggot in a McDonald's burger
Slander
Disputing a will
When religion has no direct influence on how law are created
Religion is separated from the parliament
All different religions and faiths can live safely and be supported by the laws
Religion doesn’t affect their rights or freedoms
People/migrants from all around the world are accepted
All cultures are accepted and treated the same way
NGOs
A government is a group of people with the authority to govern a country or state
Non-Government Organisations
A NGO is an organisation that runs independently of any government control.
Difference between parliament and government
The Parliament comprises all the members elected to both houses of Parliament
The government comprises those members of the party or alliance of parties that have won the most seats in the Legislative Assembly.
Voting
Voting for people who will do the best to represent the wishes of the citizens
NGOs may be partially funded by governments, they remain free to develop and implement their own policies and programs
NGOs often have the opportunity to reach and assist a broader range of people
Values
Identity is knowing who you are in terms of your qualities and characteristics, your values and your goals
A national identity is how we could categorise and recognise those from a particular country
Australians values:
Individual freedom.
Freedom of religion
Equality
A 'fair go'
Respect
Tolerance
Compassion
Values are the ideas and ideals that a person believes in and is important to them
Diversity is the keystone of multicultural and multi-faith society
It allows for people of different identities, cultures and background
The process of elections is the keystone to representative government, where Australian voters elect members of Australian political parties or independents for office to make decisions for them
Once elected, members of parliament must act on behalf of voters by representing their views in parliament
State elections are every 4 years
Federal elections are every 3 years
It is often entwined with cultural beliefs about origins, country and an individuals' place within the group