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Video

Tasmania's Hare-Clark voting system

Did you know that Tasmania has an entirely different voting system to the rest of Australia? It allows five politicians to be voted into the one seat (division) in state elections. Watch as Andrew Hawkey, the Tasmanian Electoral Commissioner explains how that system works, why it came to be and why it's important for Tasmania ...

Interactive

Discovering democracy: should the people rule?

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore the development of systems of government, from early democracy in Athens (where all 'citizens', a small proportion of the population, could vote), through the oligarchy in Sparta and direct democracy in Switzerland to Australia’s system of representative democracy. ...

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Suffragette cartoon based in a butcher shop, 1900

This cartoon, captioned 'MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB', features the Queensland premier Robert Philp (1851-1922) as a butcher of the 'Democratic Butchering Co'. As he sharpens his knife a small girl approaches bearing the initials WEFA (Women's Equal Franchise Association) on her coat. She leads a lamb with 'A VOTE FOR WOMEN' ...

Audio

Joan Kirner recalls her time as Victorian premier, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Joan Kirner (1938-) reflecting on being the first female premier of Victoria. She tells how she believed she could be an effective leader despite taking on the position at a time when Victoria was undergoing severe economic difficulties, and without any real role model to follow. Kirner ...

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Voting in Australia

The representatives elected to federal Parliament make decisions that affect many aspects of Australian life including tax, marriage, the environment, trade and immigration. This 28 page PDF document explains the history of Australia’s electoral system and how it works, Australia’s system of government and the role citizens ...

Video

Get involved

Explore the ways ordinary Australians can get involved in the work of Parliament with this short video (6:25 min). Find out how you can get informed about the work of the Parliament, the role of petitioning and ways to participate in parliamentary inquiries.

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Biography: Federation people: Richard O'Connor

Investigate Richard O'Connor's role in the move towards Federation. Examine two different types of biographies of O'Connor: one short and the other more detailed. Inspect examples of how he was visually depicted in his time. This learning object is one in a series of objects in the 'Biography: Federation people' series.

Online

Voting and belonging - a unit of work

This unit of work for lower secondary students uses the experience of women and Indigenous people in Australia as case studies for learning about 'enfranchisement', that is, gaining the right to vote. Students identify key dates and people associated with enfranchisement and appreciate the need for Australia's parliament ...

Audio

Joan Kirner discusses affirmative action for ALP women, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of former Victorian premier Joan Kirner (1938-) talking about efforts to ensure the election of a higher proportion of female Labor Party politicians in Australia. Kirner explains how, despite the party's adoption of an affirmative action policy for women, a group of Labor women thought ...

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The Australian Parliament

This website resource is a teacher reference about the Australian Parliament, its constituent parts and how it works. It describes in general terms the movement towards Federation then looks at the symbols and emblems subsequently adopted by the Commonwealth of Australia. The resource includes a list of the democratic rights ...

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Biography: Federation people: Mary Lee

Investigate the suffragist Mary Lee's role in the move towards Federation. Examine two different types of biographies of Lee: one short and the other more detailed. Inspect examples of how she was visually depicted in her time. This learning object is one in a series of objects in the 'Biography: Federation people' series.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: men and women in political life

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore some Australian men and women who have influenced the political landscape of Australia, both as elected representatives and as political leaders outside parliament. Complete a related task.

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Biography: Federation people: Louisa Lawson

IInvestigate the feminist Louisa Lawson's role in the move towards Federation. Examine two different types of biographies of Lawson: one short and the other more detailed. Inspect examples of how she was visually depicted in her time. This learning object is one in a series of objects in the 'Biography: Federation people' series.

Interactive

Discovering democracy: democratic struggles

Interact with a slideshow of images and text to explore the influence of the Chartist movement in Britain on the miners' struggles at the Ballarat goldfields, and the development of democratic ideas in Australia.

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Portrait of political activist Emma Miller, c1910s

This posed black-and-white portrait photograph of Emma Miller, probably taken in Queensland in the 1910s, shows a thin and elderly woman, fashionably dressed for the time, sitting on a chair in a studio. She is staring straight at the camera with a resolute look on her face. Her dark clothing includes a richly embroidered ...

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Cartoon about women's suffrage, 1900

This black-and-white cartoon from the 17 November 1900 edition of the Queensland federated unions' newspaper The Worker features a caricature of an older woman leaning over a desk, harassing a cowering man seated on the other side. Demanding her promised vote and wielding an umbrella, the woman probably represents Emma ...

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Suffragist publication cover, 1900

This black-and-white cartoon cover of the second issue of The Australian Woman’s Sphere, published in October 1900, was part of the campaign for the right of women to vote. It portrays a young woman as scholarly and attractive but without the right to vote, contrasted with eight men presented as unworthy of the vote they ...

Online

Women's suffrage

This is a website about the women’s suffrage movement in Victoria in the 19th and 20th century. The resource is presented in three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are 17 Story Objects that tell the stories of how Victorian women won the right to vote, key participants ...

Online

Get Voting

This website provides a step-by-step guide to running an school elections such as student leadership positions. The five-step process provides practical advice on preparation and a variety of downloadable resources. The forms can be customised and include nomination forms, ballot papers, how to vote cards and tally sheets ...

Online

Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum Year 8 unit of work

The activities and assessments in the unit will help develop students’ understanding of how citizens can participate in a democratic society and the different types of law.