2018 Section C Scenarios

YEAR 12 Exam Practice
2018
English
Section C Exam Practice
Argument and persuasive language
This book contains:

 10 practice scenarios for Section C of the English exam
 high-level sample responses for 3 scenarios
 tips and guidelines for the exam.
This trial examination produced by Insight Publications is NOT an official VCAA paper for the 2018 English written
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Copyright © Insight Publications 2018
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Contents
Exam guidelines 3
Scenario 1: Paid parking 5
Scenario 2: #BanTheBag 8
Scenario 3: Facebook for children 11
Scenario 4: Not all graffiti is vandalism 14
Scenario 5: Great Forest National Park 18
Scenario 6: Congestion tax 22
Scenario 7: Amazon in Australia 26
Scenario 8: Traffic cop in space 30
Scenario 9: Climbing Uluru 34
Scenario 10: See Australia first 38
Sample student response for Scenario 1 42
* Note that some texts that have been previously published have been edited for the purposes of the
Section C task.

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Exam guidelines
Section C of your end-of-year exam will focus on analysing argument and persuasive language. You
will be required to write an extended piece of prose that analyses how argument and language,
including visual language, are used to persuade others to share a point of view.
This section is worth one-third of your total mark for the exam.
Allow one hour for this task – as a guide, you should spend approximately 5 minutes planning, 50
minutes writing and 5 minutes proofreading.
Exam criteria for Section C – Argument and persuasive language
Criteria What you have to do
Understanding of the  Show a clear understanding of the point(s) of view by

argument(s) identifying the
presented and main contention and the main points or arguments that are
point(s) of view used to support it.
expressed
Analysis of ways in  Demonstrate an understanding of some of the persuasive

which language and strategies used to present a point of view and position readers
visual features are to agree.
used to present an
 Show how the piece of text is designed to have an impact on
argument and to
the audience through its structure and approach, and through
persuade
particular word choices and visual features.
 Look for explicit and implicit appeals to the values that this
audience might be expected to endorse; this will allow you to
show a perceptive understanding of how argument and
language are used.
Control and  Use clear and precise language, with accurate spelling and
effectiveness of correct grammar.
language use, as
 Make effective use of appropriate vocabulary, including
appropriate to the
metalanguage for discussing argument; persuasive language;
task
and the positioning of the reader.

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How can you improve your score for Section C?
The table below presents the typical characteristics of high-, medium- and low-level responses. To
achieve a top mark for Section C, aim to have your analysis resemble the description in the left-hand
column of the table below.
A high-level response: A medium-level response: A low-level response:
shows that the student has read the shows some evidence that the shows little or no
‘Background information’ carefully student has read the awareness of the context or
and demonstrates their ‘Background information’ and intended audience of the
understanding of the context of the shows some understanding of piece
piece and the intended audience the context of the piece and the
intended audience
focuses on analysing how focuses too much on only identifies language

argument and language are used identifying language techniques, showing little
to persuade rather than on simply techniques rather than on or no awareness of why the
identifying language techniques analysing the writer’s use of writer has used these
argument and language and the techniques or the intended
intended effects on the effect on the audience
audience
analyses the ways in which adequately analyses the fails to recognise or analyse
argument and language work argument and the language the connections between
together to persuade and to create with which it is presented but the argument and the
particular effects on the intended demonstrates limited language used to present it
audience awareness of the ways in
which both aspects of the
persuasive text operate
together to create particular
effects
incorporates analysis of visual includes analysis of visual excludes analysis of visual

material smoothly, noting how it material but does not material or the analysis is
supports or contradicts the point of necessarily incorporate it very basic
view presented in the text smoothly into the response

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SECTION C – Argument and persuasive language
Scenario 1: Paid parking
Instructions for Section C

Section C requires students to write an analysis of the ways in which argument and language are
used to persuade others to share a point(s) of view.
Read the background information on this page and the material on pages 6 and 7, and write an
analytical response to the task below.
For the purposes of this task, the term ‘language’ refers to written, spoken and visual language.
Your response will be assessed according to the assessment criteria set out on page 3 of this book.
Section C will be worth one-third of the total assessment for the examination.
Task
Write an analysis of the ways in which argument and written and visual language are used in the
material on pages 6 and 7 to try to persuade others to share the points of view presented.
Background information
The River Bay Council announced that parking meters would be installed
in the small town of Murrumbul, requiring drivers to pay for parking from
1 January 2019. Murrumbul is a 30-minute drive away from the larger town
of River Bay.
The following letters to the editor were published in the local newspaper,
Bayside News, in response to the announcement of the paid parking. An
image was published alongside the letters.

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Paid parking? Not in my backyard!

I’ve never seen Murrumbul as united as it is now, and we have the council’s harebrained paid
parking scheme to thank.
The whole thing is very fishy. First, the council commissioned a parking report to discover if
there was a lack of parking in town. This important parking report relied on only one day of
parking data – and they chose a busy Saturday in the middle of summer, when a large arts
market was being held on the oval. Yes, it was busy in town that day. Yes, lots of visitors
came to visit the market and you couldn’t get a park for miles. But this day cannot in any way
be seen as representative of a normal day in Murrumbul. This was pointed out to staff in a
community consultation meeting to discuss the parking report, and ignored. Even still, this
parking report did not recommend paid parking as a first intervention.
No wonder people in town are seeing red. We didn’t ask for paid parking, we have repeatedly
told the council during ‘community consultation’ meetings that we don’t want paid parking,
and what are we getting? Paid parking! And they’re using our ratepayers’ money to fund it!
Paid parking is the crack cocaine of greedy councils. They don’t care about the harm it does
to a community. Once they have tasted it, they must have more. We’ve seen what’s happened
in River Bay: the dollars are pouring into those ugly parking meter robots and now the council
has money to make a big mess. They’ve started chopping down trees to widen the roads, hired
more unfriendly rangers to patrol the beach to fine dog-walkers, and knocked down the old
cinema for a huge new shopping complex. The place has lost its charm. I avoid it at all costs.
I have a very dear friend in River Bay who lost 20% of her turnover in the year that the
council introduced paid parking there. That wiped out any profit margin and meant she was
working for nothing and losing money in her small business, leaving her $100,000 in debt!
The only businesses in her street to actually profit from paid parking were the cafes, which
benefited from quicker turnaround of customers. All other retailers lost money, some as much
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as 40% of their turnover. People had time to eat but not shop – and while the council coffers
may have gained a few million dollars in revenue, the net loss to the community has been tens
or even hundreds of millions. People lost their jobs, businesses lost their profit and visitors to
the town were furious that they copped a $180 fine for overstaying a one-hour limit with no
provision for putting more coins in the meter – plus a crazy demand to move their vehicle to a
different ‘zone’ with no indication of where that zone might be. I don’t want this madness in
my main street.
And while Murrumbul residents will be exempt from emptying our wallets into the meters,
what about our friends and family who come to visit? What about our neighbours and
colleagues who live on the border of town and are not eligible for an exemption, but still need
to come into town to drop their kids at school, pop to the shops, or go to work? Penalising
them for parking in town is harsh and unreasonable and will split our community.
The other thing that will suffer is the Murrumbul ‘brand’. It’s hardly the sort of destination
where people expect to cop a parking fine. Our allure is in our go-slow vibe, the meandering
river and the olde-worlde feel. Parking meters are for cities, congested urban areas and maybe
(maybe) busy tourist areas like River Bay. They are not for Murrumbul, as they turn it into
exactly the sort of place that people have left behind to visit us here in this picturesque
country town.
Luca Mahoney, Murrumbul
Council failure
River Bay Council has failed to exercise due diligence in relation to implementing paid
parking in Murrumbul.
Paid parking is being touted as a ‘tourist tax’ that will raise money for our town but won’t
affect the locals. This is just not logical. As any local will tell you, our tourists are day-
trippers from River Bay. They come here for a leisurely shop, coffee and lunch and are
therefore unlikely to park in an enforced one-hour or even two-hour parking zone. We’ll lose
them to our neighbouring towns, which offer the same federation-style shops and attractions
without the parking ticket.
If the council wants to tax tourists and generate revenue for Murrumbul, as it has been
claiming, it needs to come up with a more logical plan that takes into account actual data
about our tourist behaviour.
Good governance requires both good data and real community engagement in order for
informed decisions to be made. Something has gone horribly wrong with the process of
investigating the feasibility of paid parking in Murrumbul.
Claudia Crow, Murrumbul

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Scenario 2: #BanTheBag

Task
The online petition ‘Ban the Bag’ was published on change.org – a website
where people can publish and sign petitions.
The petition was created by the television news and opinion program The
Project, in conjunction with environmental organisation Clean Up Australia.
The petition is accompanied by a photograph of NSW Premier Gladys
Berejiklian, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and WA Premier Mark
McGowan, as well as a graphic.
A comment by a student, Jo, follows the petition.

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#BanTheBag in NSW, Victoria and WA
The Project has teamed up with Clean Up Australia to call on NSW Premier Gladys
Berejiklian, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and WA Premier Mark McGowan to
#BanTheBag. These three great Australians could see single-use non-biodegradable plastic
bags banned across Australia, thanks to existing bans in South Australia, Tasmania, the
Northern Territory and the ACT, and an impending ban in Queensland. Support for existing
bans is overwhelming. In South Australia, 81% of the consumers strongly support the ban, as
do 73% of Territorians, and 70% of Australians living in the ACT.
Currently, Australians use an estimated four to six billion plastic bags each year. That’s ten
million bags every day. Every minute, we send 7,150 plastic bags to landfill. But eighty
million plastic bags never make it to landfill, and instead end up in our litter stream, killing
100,000 birds and marine animals every year. On average, it’s estimated we use a single-use
plastic bag (like you’d find at Coles and Woolies) for just twelve minutes. And that same bag
could take up to 1,000 years to break down. A plastic bag you use today will share this planet
with your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-
grandchildren.
Turtles, whales, other marine mammals and seabirds suffer especially from ocean pollution,
and from entanglement in or ingestion of marine debris, including plastic bags. Many marine
creatures, such as turtles, mistake
plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their
main food sources, which causes
blockages within their digestive
systems and can even lead to death.
It’s estimated that over half the
world’s sea turtles have eaten plastic –
an extremely worrying statistic given
that nearly all species of sea turtle are
already classified as ‘endangered’ by
the World Wildlife Fund. Only one in
1,000 sea turtles survives to adulthood,
so any death is significant.

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Many countries around the world, from China to Italy, Papua New Guinea to France, Taiwan
to the Netherlands, have already banned plastic bags. But despite supporting in spirit the
banning of plastic bags, the Premiers of NSW, Victoria, and Western Australia are yet to lead
on the issue. We want them to #BanTheBag so that Australia is not left behind as the rest of
the world addresses this serious and avoidable environmental disaster.
The big supermarkets aren’t going to do this without any government-initiated policy. They
say they comply with government regulations, and they continue to offer single-use plastic
bags to give customers a choice. And while some environmentally-aware customers already
bring reusable bags to the shops, others need a bit of a nudge to change their habits of
grabbing handfuls of plastic bags every time. A ban at the state level will enforce these
changes.
So who will lead the way. NSW, Victoria or Western Australia? Who will ban the bag first?
Gladys Berejiklian, Daniel Andrews or Mark McGowan? Whose name will our great-great-
great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren read in their history
books?
Once you’ve signed, contact these great Australians directly and encourage them to lead the
way and #BanTheBag!
COMMENT
These decisions are being rushed based on emotion and not enough research. Replacing
shopping bags with other materials may solve some environmental issues but exacerbate
others. Paper bags need to be reused at least four times to have less impact on the environment
in terms of resource and energy use and greenhouse outcomes, according to a UK study. For
cotton bags, it’s 173 times. As for the green bags bought at supermarkets, an Australian
study found that if they are used fewer than 52 times then their impact on global warming is
greater than single-use plastic bags.
Look at the lifespan of a free plastic bag you’d get from a supermarket. In my house, we reuse
these to line the bins, and take them out to pick up after the dog. If I stop getting these bags for
free, it means I’ll need to start buying bin bags and dog poo bags – so will we really be using
less plastic?
When Ireland introduced a fifteen Euro cent ‘plastax’ on free plastic bags, The
Guardian reported a 400% increase in bin liner and large black garbage bag sales. The plastic
in the replacement bags is thicker and a bigger threat to the environment than the thinner
plastic in the free bags used in stores.
I’m not ‘for’ plastics. I want to help the environment too – but sometimes the emotional
reaction is not the best one in the end. Let’s do more research and make the best decision for
our beautiful country and our precious Earth.
Jo, student (Environmental Management & Sustainability)

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Scenario 3: Facebook for children

Task
Facebook is a social media and networking service. Users must be at least
thirteen years old to create an account.
Facebook recently announced the creation of ‘Messenger Kids’, a service
designed for children aged six to twelve.
YourSay is an Australian radio program to which listeners can call or text
their opinions on current issues. The transcript of the program on Facebook
for children was published on the radio’s website, along with an image.

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Matilda Clark: Hello and welcome to YourSay, the talkback segment where you get to call in
and have your say on the issues of the day. I’m your host Matilda Clark and today we’ve
heard that Facebook is launching ‘Messenger Kids’, a social media messaging app aimed at
six- to twelve-year-olds. Here’s what Facebook had to say:
Audio snatch from spokesperson: Today, in the US, we’re rolling out a preview of
Messenger Kids, a new app that makes it easier for kids to safely video chat and message with
family and friends when they can’t be together in person. After talking to thousands of
parents, associations like the National Parent-Teacher Association, and parenting experts in
the US, we found that there’s a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people
they love but also has the level of control parents want.
To give kids and parents a fun, safer solution, we built Messenger Kids, a standalone app that
lives on kids’ tablets or smartphones but can be controlled from a parent’s Facebook
account. Whether it’s using video chat to talk to grandparents, staying in touch with cousins
who live far away, or sending Mom a decorated photo to say hi while she’s working late,
Messenger Kids opens up a new world of online communication to families.
Matilda Clark: We’ve got Zara on the line from Winchelsea. What do you think, Zara?
Zara: Look, I think this is crazy. There are just so many issues involved here. The first being
that six is way too young to be on social media! Little kids, like my six-year-old daughter,
should be out playing with worms or painting on real paper, not counting ‘likes’ or sending
selfies. She should be learning how to communicate face-to-face with her peers, not wasting
hours online. She’s got a whole lifetime ahead of her for that. We’re seeing all the data
coming out about the negative effects of social media on teens – mental health issues, online
bullying, FOMO* … why on earth would we wean even younger kids onto this?

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Secondly, I just don’t trust Facebook. They say there’s full parental control over who your
child is friends with and able to video chat with. They say there’s no advertising and that your
child’s data will be kept private. They say the content is fully ‘kid-friendly’. But look what
happened to the YouTube Kids app – it’s been infiltrated by disturbing and creepy videos that
some sickos are targeting at kids. Apps like this are never 100% safe from hackers. Imagine
what could happen if dodgy people with dangerous intentions hacked your kid’s photos and
videos or was able to talk to them.
I mean, I see what they’re doing. Get kids in young, get them addicted to the product, then
when they turn thirteen they can ‘graduate’ to the adult Facebook where their data can be
legally mined and turned into targeted advertisements. As a marketer, I see the appeal. As a
parent, I see a big red flag.
Matilda Clark: Yikes, scary stuff, thanks Zara. Dane’s calling in from Kiama with his
opinion. Dane?
Dane: Yeah, hi Matilda. I think the previous caller is being slightly overdramatic. I’m a
Grade 6 teacher, so my class is full of eleven- and twelve-year olds, and I tell you what, most
of them are on Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat and whatever the next trendy app is
already. They’re lying about their age to get on there, either with or without their parents’
permission. Sounds to me like this new app is a sort of ‘training wheels’ for social media.
Now they can do it legitimately, with parental control. If the parents have to approve every
contact, there shouldn’t be any strangers on there. Certainly safer than the adult versions that
many of them are on anyway. I think this could be a great opportunity for parents to teach
their kids about safe and responsible use of social media and messaging.
As an educator, I don’t think there’s any point in sticking our heads in the sand and saying
‘kids should not be allowed on social media’. They love taking photos, watching videos,
using apps and games, and chatting. Those with older siblings will always want to try out
what their siblings are doing. I see this at school every day. These kids are going to grow up
to be much more adept in the digital universe than we are. I think it’s the parents’ role to
supervise kids when they start getting interested in social media. You wouldn’t push your kid
down a steep slope on a two-wheel bicycle on their first attempt – you’d prop them up with
training wheels and hover at their side until they take off on their own. And you certainly
don’t need to force or even encourage them into it – just wait until they become interested,
and then be there to help. Messenger Kids sounds like a good solution to me.
Matilda Clark: Thanks for that, Dane. Listeners, what do you think? Call or text in to have
your say.
* FOMO is an acronym for ‘Fear of missing out’, an anxiety that you’re missing out on
something fun, often triggered by seeing other people’s social media posts.

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Scenario 4: Not all graffiti is vandalism

Task
This article was published on the Conversation website, which is an
independent source of news and views gathered from the academic and
research community and delivered direct to the public.
David Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director and visual artist,
known for his often surreal style.
‘Banksy’ is an anonymous graffiti artist whose works provide social and
political commentary in a distinctive stencilling style.

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Not all graffiti is vandalism – let’s rethink the public-space debate

Liam Miller, Researcher in the Philosophy of Play, The University of Queensland
Earlier this month, at the opening of an exhibition dedicated to his work at Brisbane’s Gallery of
Modern Art, director David Lynch got stuck into street art, calling it “ugly, stupid, and
threatening”. Apparently, shooting movies can be very difficult when the building you want to
film is covered in graffiti and you don’t want it to be.
Is there a distinction between art and vandalism? This is the question that always seems to rise up
when graffiti becomes a topic of conversation, as it has after Lynch’s outburst. This is, however,
not just important for those of us who want to know the answers to obscure questions such as,
“what is art?” It affects everyone.
Why? Because graffiti exists in our public spaces, our communities and our streets.
Let’s for a minute put aside the fact that an artist such as David Lynch, known for pushing the
envelope in terms of what art is and can be, is criticising one type of art on the grounds that it is
inconvenient to the kind of art that he prefers to undertake.
There is something more important to discuss here. The opinion that street art is vandalism (that
is, not art) is widely held. Many people despise graffiti – but we are more than happy to line our
public spaces with something much more offensive: advertising. That’s the bigger story here, the
use and abuse of public space.
At heart, I think this is why people don’t like graffiti. We see it as someone trying to take control
of a part of our public space. The problem is, our public spaces are being sold out from under us
anyway. If we don’t collectively protect our public spaces, we will lose them.
Two types of graffiti
I would like to make a bold distinction here.
I want to draw out the difference between two kinds of graffiti: street art and vandalism.
We need something to be able to differentiate between Banksy and the kids who scrawl their
names or ‘tags’ on bus shelters. They are different, and the difference lies in their intention.
Tagging, the practice of writing your name or handle in prominent or impressive positions, is akin
to a dog marking its territory. It is also an act of ownership. Genuine street art does not aim at
ownership, but at capturing and sharing a concept. Street art adds to public discourse by putting
something out into the world; it is the start of a conversation.
The sense of ownership that is
ingrained in vandalism is not present in
street art. In fact, street art has a way of
opening up spaces and making them
public. Street art has a way of inviting
participation, something that too few
public spaces are even capable of.
Marketing vandals
If vandalism is abhorrent because it
attempts to own public space, then
advertising is vandalism.

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The billboards that line our streets, the banner ads on buses, the pop-ups on websites, the ads on
our TVs and radios, buy and sell our public spaces. Want a tasty beverage? To be young,
beautiful, carefree, cutting-edge, and happy? For only $24.95 (plus postage)!
Advertising privatises our public spaces. Ads are placed out in the public strategically. They are
built to coerce, and manipulate. They affect us, whether we want them to or not. But this is not
reciprocated.
We cannot in turn change or alter ads, nor can we communicate with the company who is doing
the selling. If street art is the beginning of a conversation, advertising is the end. Stop talking, stop
thinking – and buy these shoes!
Ads v graffiti
We are affronted by ads. They tell us we are not enough. Not good enough, not pretty enough, not
wealthy enough.
At its worst, graffiti is mildly insulting and can be aesthetically immature. But at its best, it can be
the opening of a communal space: a commentary, a conversation, a concept captured in an image
on a wall. Genuine street art aims at this ideal.
At its best, advertising is an
effective way of informing the
public about products and services.
At worst, advertising is a coercive,
manipulative form of psychological
warfare designed to trick us into
buying junk we don’t need with
money we don’t have.
What surprises me is that the people
who find vandalism in the form of
tagging highly offensive have no
problem with the uncensored use of
our public spaces for the purposes Advertising at its worst: an omnipresent monster that consumes entire
of selling stuff. cities and peoples.
What art can do

If art is capable of anything in this world, it is cutting through the dross of everyday existence. Art
holds up a mirror to the world so that we can see the absurdity of it. It shows us who we really
are, both good and bad, as a community.
Street art has an amazing ability to do this because it exists in our real and everyday world, not
vacuum-sealed and shuffled away in a privileged private space. Its very public nature makes street
art unique, powerful, and amazing.
If we as a community can recognise the value in street art, we can begin to address it as a
legitimate expression. When we value street art as art, we can engage with it as a community and
help to grow it into something beautiful.
When street art has value, graffiti stops being a petty and adolescent attempt at ownership, and
becomes mere vandalism. When we value our public spaces as places where we can share
experiences, we will start to see the violence that is advertising as clearly as the tag on the back of
a bus shelter.
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Tips for Scenario 4

 Starting from the heading of the article, the writer aims to bring readers onside
by using inclusive, plural pronouns (‘Let’s’, ‘our public spaces, our
communities’, ‘we need’). This inclusive language supports the discussion of
shared public spaces and positions the audience to come together as a group to
‘collectively protect our public spaces’.
 While the majority of the article uses a measured, thoughtful tone (for example,
‘Let’s rethink’) in order to present the writer as a reasonable and trustworthy
source, note the sorts of words Miller has chosen to describe advertising, such
as ‘abhorrent’, ‘coercive’, ‘manipulative’ and ‘psychological warfare’.
Consider the impression of advertisers that the writer develops throughout the
text and how it positions the audience to view this group.
 There are two images accompanying the piece and you should comment on
both. The graphic of the overwhelmingly large and obtrusive billboards
illustrates the writer’s point that ‘our public spaces are being sold out from
under us’ and that ‘advertising is a coercive, manipulative form of
psychological warfare’. This is conveyed by the way in which advertising
dominates the image, leaving little free or open space. The people in the image
occupy a comparatively minor space and are dwarfed by the billboards and
posters around them. The caption also supports the writer’s use of emotive
language to describe advertising, labelling it an ‘omnipresent monster’. The
image of the two different brains supports the way in which the writer
establishes the two groups – advertisers and graffitists – as opposing groups,
one of which he portrays as having nefarious intentions with regard to the use
of public space, while the other is presented as having noble motivations.

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Scenario 5: Great Forest National Park

Task
The Great Forest National Park is a proposed new national park in Victoria.
The text and images were published on the website:
www.greatforestnationalpark.com.au
The proposed park has support from prominent personalities such as
anthropologist Jane Goodall and actor Isabel Lucas.
The text includes an extended quote from Goodall, a photograph and an ‘I
support’ pledge from Lucas.

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MELBOURNE’S NEW PLAYGROUND
The Great Forest National Park proposal is a vision for a new national park for bush users
and bush lovers alike. It will protect and maintain important ecosystem functions critical for
our way of life.
Less than 90 minutes’ drive east of Melbourne, the mountain ash forests of the Central
Highlands are the key source of the city’s drinking water and the home of the tallest flowering
trees in the world. A park proposed for the region has Melbourne buzzing with new
investment ideas in tourism, boosting regional jobs while conserving an incredible landscape
and its wildlife.
These mountain ash forests provide
habitat for a range of wildlife, threatened
by decades of fire and logging. There are
at least forty species that need tree
hollows to live and breed in. It takes
around 200 years to create such habitat
trees. The critically endangered
Leadbeater’s possum, the faunal emblem
of Victoria, exists nowhere else.
The critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum (fairy possum)
A history of landscape-scale logging and is restricted to small pockets of forest in the Central Highlands
fire has meant old trees are being lost and of Victoria, north-east of Melbourne. Its habitat is threatened
due to logging and wildfire.
not replaced, becoming ever scarcer. The
mountain ash ecosystem of the Victorian Central Highlands has been scientifically assessed
as ‘critically endangered’ under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
criteria. This underlines the need for a new park to protect and restore these forests.
The Park, stretching from Kinglake through to the Baw Baws and north-east up to Eildon,
will host a range of activities such as bike riding, bushwalking, fishing, bird watching, four-
wheel driving, motor biking, camping, zipline tours and much more.
The new national park could grow to rival Sydney’s neighbouring Blue Mountains National
Park. While the Blue Mountains attracts 14 per cent of NSW’s national park visitors, the
existing Yarra Ranges, Kinglake, Lake Eildon and Baw Baw national parks attract just 5 per
cent of Victoria’s national park visitors, according to a new report by the Nous Group.
The Great Forest National Park could also improve Victoria’s poor reputation as a nature
destination. While 56 per cent of visitors pick Australia to visit natural areas, only 8 per cent
of surveyed individuals believed Victoria had world-class natural attractions.
The Central Highlands are dominated by an ancient 30-kilometre-wide volcano, the
Cerberean Caldera, creating a spectacular setting for waterfalls and mountains such as the
impressive Cathedral Ranges. Throw in the tallest flowering trees in the world, the mountain
ash, and you have a majestic destination right on Melbourne’s doorstep.

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For an investment of just $45 million, Victoria’s proposed Great Forest National Park would
draw almost 380,000 extra visitors a year to the Central Highlands, add $71 million annually
to the local economy and generate 750 jobs with a little private investment.
Increased visitation by domestic and international tourists and investment by governments
would drive opportunities in ecotourism, hospitality and accommodation, and forest and park
management. Additional spending by visitors would go to local goods and service providers
in towns around and on the way to the new park. The results of this analysis are conservative
as it did not take into account the proposed park’s close proximity to Melbourne.
After the Grampians was declared a national park in 1985, average annual visitor days
increased 30 per cent from 1.12 million to 1.5 million. After the Murray-Sunset National Park
was declared in 1991, annual visits more than doubled, from 12,000 to 27,200.
The report looked at various scenarios such as private enterprise building facilities adjacent to
the new park, including the already proposed tree-top walk at Cambarville and zipline at
Toolangi as well as an eco-lodge.
The report conservatively estimates that a tree-top walk and zipline would attract an
additional 132,000 people to the Great Forest National Park, even though the Otway Fly
zipline in the Otway Ranges attracted about 220,000 visitors in its first year of operation.
The Great Forest National Park would attract an extra 400,000 visitors annually, add more
than $71 million to the local economy every year and create 750 new, full-time jobs.
The Great Forest National Park, so close to
Melbourne, will be a great community asset – a
playground for the people, the perfect place for
city folk wanting to escape the daily grind. It will
generate new, long-term jobs while protecting
threatened species, ecosystems, carbon storage,
and water supplies. It will revitalise semi-urban
and rural communities, some still recovering
from the Black Saturday fires of 2009. The time
is right to create a new Great Forest National
Park. The time is now!
Over thousands of years, nature has provided the resources that have helped us to survive and
flourish. Now, in a time of need, we must help nature to survive. The Great Forest National Park
is a project to secure the future of a threatened ecosystem. If we act now, we will be ensuring the
forest can continue to provide services that support us – clean water, fresh air and storage of
carbon. If we fail now, what future will we have chosen for our grandchildren and their
grandchildren? Please join me in supporting the creation of the Great Forest National Park.
Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

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Tips for Scenario 5

 The inclusion of endorsements from two prominent figures – Goodall and
Lucas – from two very different walks of life conveys the impression that
support for the national park is widespread. Consider the types of audiences
that each of these figures is likely to be recognised by, and consider why the
creators of the website have chosen to showcase the support of these
individuals.
 Note how the choice of language used to describe the new park proposal
(‘buzzing’, ‘boosting’, ‘conserving’, ‘protecting’, ‘generate’, ‘revitalise’)
creates a sense of activity and forward momentum, and contributes to an
enthusiastic tone. Note, too, how this contrasts with the concerned and serious
tone (‘threatened’, ‘critically endangered’) when discussing the environmental
need to protect the forests. Think about the different emotional responses these
contrasting tones are targeting, and why.
 The article alludes to a report ‘by the Nous Group’; the statistics, cost
estimates and comparisons to the performances of other Australian national
parks are likely to appeal to those readers who prefer logical rather than
emotional (or environmental) arguments.
 The photograph of the Leadbeater’s possum is framed to highlight the
creature’s tiny size and emphasise its wide, gentle eyes, giving it an
appearance of innocence and vulnerability. Its dependence on humans is
highlighted by its being depicted clinging to a person’s thumb. Consider how
this close-up image of an appealing animal is intended to arouse protective
feelings, particularly in Victorian readers, for whom it is a state emblem.

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Scenario 6: Congestion tax

Task
Grattan Institute is an independent ‘think tank’ dedicated to developing
high-quality public policy for Australia’s future. It was formed in 2008 to
provide independent, rigorous and practical solutions to some of the
country’s most pressing problems.
This text is based on the original report published at www.grattan.edu.au
and is followed by a comment by reader Sophia B.
A photograph accompanies the article.

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Stuck in traffic? Road congestion in Sydney and Melbourne

Marion Terrill, Transport Program Director, Grattan Institute
Road congestion charges should be introduced in Sydney and Melbourne. An examination of 3.5
million Google Maps trip-time estimates across more than 350 routes over six months of this year
suggests both cities could face traffic gridlock in the future unless decisive action is taken to
manage congestion.
In the middle and outer

suburbs of Sydney and
Melbourne, most drivers
have a pretty smooth run
most of the time. But
commutes to the Central
Business District (CBD)
can take more than twice as
long as the same trips
would take in the middle of
the night.
In Sydney, CBD commuters from Balgowlah in the north and Hurstville in the south can expect
delays of about fifteen minutes on an average morning, far longer than commuters from other
parts of the city.
In Melbourne, the worst delays are for people commuting from north-eastern suburbs, including
Heidelberg, Kew and Doncaster. Drivers who have to use the Eastern Freeway and Hoddle Street
in the morning peak are often delayed for more than twenty minutes, and the length of the delay
can vary greatly from day to day.
Melbourne should introduce a ‘CBD cordon’ congestion charge, similar to London’s. The cordon
could cover Hoddle Street to the east, Royal Parade to the west, City Road and Olympic
Boulevard to the south, and Alexandra Parade to the north, with motorists charged when they
drive across the cordon into the city during peak periods.
People who pay the charge would get a quicker and more reliable trip, because there would be
fewer cars on the road at peak times. People who can travel outside of peak times would not have
to pay, because there would be no congestion charge when the roads are not congested.
To make clear that the new charges are to help manage traffic flows rather than to boost revenue,
the money raised should be used to fund a discount on vehicle registration fees and improvements
to the train, tram, ferry and bus networks.
Melbourne’s CBD parking levy should be doubled to match Sydney’s and to further discourage
city commuters from driving to work. Public transport fares in both cities should be cut during
off-peak periods, to encourage people to shift their travel to times when the trains, trams and
buses are not overcrowded.
New roads are not the whole answer. Congestion tends to be worse in the most built-up parts of
Sydney and Melbourne, where it would be most costly to construct new roads. This means that
24
even crippling levels of congestion might not justify the construction of astronomically expensive
infrastructure. In any case, new roads often take years to build and can fill up with new traffic of
their own.
New roads are important, however, in new suburbs.
The rule for our policymakers should be: build a road whenever the community will gain more
from the new road than it will cost, and whenever the new road is a better option for the
community than extracting more from the roads we’ve already got. But do not think of new roads
as congestion-busting.
Close to the city centres it is often more effective and always cheaper to invest in smaller-scale
engineering and technology improvements such as traffic-light coordination, smarter intersection
design, variable speed limits and better road surfaces and gradients.
Some of the great cities of the world have successful congestion pricing schemes, including
London, Stockholm and Singapore.
For Sydney and Melbourne, congestion pricing would deliver city-wide benefits: not only
reducing the amount of time we spend stuck in traffic, but also funding better public transport and
a cut to car registration fees.
COMMENT
So because a handful of cities in the world have a congestion tax we need one here? All a
congestion tax does is again penalise the less well-off. There are many reasons I can’t catch
public transport or cycle to work (such as the distance from my house to any public transport,
and the need to drop off and pick up kids on the way), so I don’t have any option but to drive
and get hit by the proposed congestion tax every single day. Just for trying to get to work on
time!
I highly doubt the public transport system could even cope with the increased loads of
passengers it would face if those like me were forced off the roads. On the unfortunate
occasion I have had to catch the train into the city in peak hour, I have had to shove my way
into the carriage and spend the journey with my face glued against the glass underneath
someone’s armpit. Those with bikes, prams, backpacks or kids in tow have zero chance. Until
the government improves public transport, they shouldn’t even consider stopping people from
driving.
I don’t disagree that something needs to change on our roads. I already deal with a congestion
‘tax’ of sorts: the extra time I have to factor in every morning to sit in gridlock. Time I could
better spend with my family. Don’t make us pay extra money for this privilege as well.
Sophia B, Doncaster, VIC

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Tips for Scenario 6

 Terrill’s matter-of-fact, authoritative tone is created through the use of simple
sentence structures and the repetition of modal verbs such as ‘could’, ‘should’
and ‘would’. Note how these language choices and the tone, as well as the
detached third-person perspective, suit the context of the piece – the
‘Background information’ box describes the sort of pieces Grattan Institute
publishes. Consider how this rational and measured approach might appeal to
readers looking for a logical solution to a common issue. You might also note
that the likely readers of the piece – educated professionals – are also those
more likely to work in the CBD and therefore to be affected by congestion.
 Compare the language choices in the comment by Sophia B. Relying on
anecdotes, rhetorical questions and emotional pleas (‘Don’t make us pay extra
money for this privilege’), she aims to appeal to readers’ sense of empathy in
order to persuade them that a congestion tax would have unfair consequences.
 To back up her argument for introducing a congestion tax, Terrill mentions
three cities where a similar scheme is in place (‘some of the great cities in the
world … London, Stockholm and Singapore’). Consider how the word ‘great’
is likely to act on the readers in this sentence and how it might position them to
want to see their cities described in such a way. Consider the appeals to
patriotism and to being modern and up to date that are embedded in this
sentence.
 The image shows heavy traffic gridlock – the result foreseen by Terrill and the
Grattan Institute if ‘decisive action’ to manage traffic congestion is not taken
soon. The line of cars at a standstill is an ugly sight aimed at inducing feelings
of frustration, anger and impatience in readers. These feelings are likely to be
exacerbated by the positioning of the cars in the image, which helps to
replicate the perspective that one sees when caught in congestion, inviting
readers to picture themselves stuck in that traffic. Consider how this image
supports and reinforces the writer’s argument.

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Scenario 7: Amazon in Australia

Task
Amazon is an online marketplace based in the United States. Amazon
Australia launched in Australia in late 2017.
This blog was posted on the Business Bloke website, a source of information
for ‘regular blokes and blokettes who want to keep up with news in the
business world’.
The ‘Death Star’ is a fictional superweapon / space station from the Star
Wars film franchise.

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The Business Bloke Blog
Amazon – the Death Star for Australian retail?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, business blokes and blokettes, Amazon is a global
marketplace that boasts over 300 million active customers in 189 countries. It sells everything
from electronics and pet products to clothing and beauty products, sports equipment, books,
music, home wares … the list goes on. When it comes to online shopping in the United States,
Amazon is often the first website visited, even bypassing Google.
The US-based juggernaut has dominated every market it has chosen to enter, leaving CEO
Jeff Bezos very rich and its huge customer base very satisfied (competitor retailers, not so
much).
And it landed in Australia last month. What kind of destruction do you think a disruptive
retailer of this size is going to cause to the local environment? I’d say: Death-Star-sized
damage. If Amazon Australia can deliver on the holy trinity of product choice, speed and
price, the game is basically up for Aussie retail. Good for customers, bad for retailers.
Let’s put this in context. Amazon is worth about $630 billion (AUD). To compare, when we
add up Australia’s biggest retailers (Coles supermarkets, Woolworths supermarkets,
Bunnings, Aldi and Harvey Norman) we come to a bit under $90 billion (AUD).
With a mind-blowing 370 million items stacked on its digital shelves (go on – try to picture
your local department store with this much stock), it’s hard to consider a retailer that won’t be
affected.
Department stores are definitely in the firing line: Myer, David Jones, Target, Kmart and the
like are set to lose customers to the online mega corporation. In the US, department stores
accounted for 26% of sales in 2005, down to 11% last year, and forecast to be just 7% by
2020. We’re likely to follow along this path.

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According to IBISWorld’s senior analysts, Amazon intends to challenge domestic retail prices
by setting their prices 30% lower than listed elsewhere. They can afford to do this.
Local retailers will see their margins crunched and market share devoured, while their
employees are generally the first to suffer.
So how did it go in its first month? The tech giant said launch-day orders were higher than
any other launch day in Amazon’s history, proving that Australians are looking for new retail
solutions. Data released by Nielsen shows that 3.8 million Australians visited amazon.com.au
in the December 2017 lead-up to Christmas, up from 1.04 million in December 2016 when
the site only sold Kindle readers and ebooks.
But there’s no point whinging and moaning – Amazon is going to be part of our retail
landscape for the foreseeable future – a Death Star hovering in the sky like a second moon.
Amazon is successful because it understands better than anyone else that retail always will be
a low-margin business – consumers will buy from the place with the cheapest prices. Local
retailers will need to adapt if they hope to compete. Retailers will need to rethink their unique
selling points: if they can’t match Amazon on price, product availability or delivery time,
they’ve got to step up their in-store service, loyalty rewards or easy exchanges. We’ve already
seen JB Hi-Fi unveil their same-day delivery and three-hour delivery options in a positive
move to combat Amazon’s presence, and Woolworths has increased its online traffic by
combining digital programs with customer loyalty operations – developing personalised
online offers and rolling out a parcel collection service. Kmart is doing something right, too;
despite being a relatively late convert to e-commerce it is now soaring ahead of BIG W and
Target in terms of online traffic.
We’ve seen taxis disrupted by Uber, hotels disrupted by Airbnb, and even real estate
bypassing the middleman on Purplebricks. Retail is going to have to work hard to remain
competitive, but that’s the price of innovation.
Comment
I was right along with you until you said there was ‘no point whinging and moaning’. There’s every
reason to keep whinging and moaning! We can’t just stand idly by and let our children grow up thinking
this is okay behaviour.
The Uber generation (you know the type – thumbs twiddling on smartphones) has no brand loyalty and
only cares about getting a cheap deal. I ask them to look around at the local shops on their main street and
imagine what will happen if they keep confining their shopping to late nights on the couch, obsessed with
the cheapest deal, never mind if the product is being shipped from thousands of kilometres away. What a
waste of resources, when it might be available for just $5 or $10 more in the local shop! Bookshops are
going under. Record shops? Impossible to find. I can still count on friendly advice and service at my local
electronics shop – they’ve gone out of their way to help me exchange a faulty fridge. What happens when
they are forced out by Amazon? We should support local Australian businesses, not faceless corporations.
Which one will give your kid their first job? Which one will sponsor your community group’s sausage
sizzle?
Amazon is going to be staffed by robots in its warehouses soon. These Uber-kids are getting a cheap deal
now, but when Australian retail implodes and all the jobs and competition disappear, they’ll pay the true
price.
- Disgruntled, Ainslie ACT

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Tips for Scenario 7

 Note how the writer’s consideration of both the positive and negative aspects
of Amazon Australia is reflected in the language used. In the first part of the
blog entry the writer builds up a negative image of Amazon through the use of
violent and negative imagery (‘destruction’, ‘Death-Star-sized damage’, ‘firing
line’, ‘devoured’, ‘suffer’). By contrast, the tone in the second half of the piece
shifts with the proclamation ‘but there’s no point whinging and moaning’,
which conveys an impression of the writer as no-nonsense and down-to-earth –
qualities that readers of the blog (see ‘Background information’ for context)
are likely to appreciate. In the second half of the article words like
‘successful’, ‘adapt’ and ‘innovation’ develop a more positive vision of the
future, inclining the reader to accept the reality of a change in the retail
environment.
 When analysing the image of the graph, you might note the way in which it
works with the writer’s use of statistics and evidence from overseas to
contribute to a sense that the writer is well informed and that their opinion is
therefore reliable.
 You might consider also the way in which this informed and educated
impression is balanced by the writer’s friendly and approachable tone,
achieved through casual expressions such as ‘In case you’ve been living under
a rock’ and ‘Let’s put this in context’. Consider the use of this sort of language
in the context of a blog with the colloquial title of ‘the Business Bloke Blog’
and what it might suggest about the likely readers of the text.
 Compare the language in the blog with the comment by ‘Disgruntled’, which
uses a contemptuous and critical tone, developed through word choices such
as ‘thumbs twiddling’, ‘cheap’ and ‘obsessed’. The commenter blames ‘the
Uber generation’ for the demise of bricks-and-mortar shops and builds up a
highly negative image of the future due to developments like Amazon Australia.
You might compare the emotions both writers aim to evoke in the reader and
consider not only how they differ but also the extent to which they are similar.

30
Scenario 8: Traffic cop in space

Task
This opinion article was published on the Conversation website, which is
an independent source of news and views gathered from the academic and
research community and delivered direct to the public.
‘Space traffic management’ refers to managing the traffic of objects in
outer space so that space debris and satellites don’t collide or cause damage
to each other.
A comment from a reader and a graphic accompany the article.

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Step up Australia, we need a traffic cop in space

Right now there are around 21,000 artificial objects being tracked in Earth orbit (and many
millions too small to be tracked). Only about 1,750 of these are functional satellites.
If we don’t adequately manage the traffic of objects in outer space, many services on which we
depend will no longer be available.
I argue that Australia should step up and fill this role. ‘Space traffic management’ could be an
enduring, national beacon project to inspire and galvanise the Australian space industry. This will
be particularly important as the prospective Australian space agency builds momentum in 2018.
The US is stepping back
Non-functional orbiting objects are
known as space debris. It’s
an ongoing problem and only likely
to become worse, with plans to add
many thousands of small satellites to
the current population of active
satellites.
Right now, the US Air Force is
trying to divest itself of the space
traffic management role – a
responsibility that it has previously
assumed for the world by default.
The Australian space industry, facilitated by the prospective Australian space agency, can seize
this opportunity. We are well suited to play a role that will be valuable from a commercial
perspective, and that will place us in a strong strategic position in the future global space industry
and its governance.
Defining the problem
There’s a fair amount of debate about the scope of space traffic management. At the very least it
encompasses a means of knowing:
 what’s up there orbiting Earth
 where orbiting objects are, in as near to real-time as possible
 whether they pose any risk of damage, such as a future conjunction between two objects,
or interference, such as between the frequencies on which they transmit.
It could also encompass an advisory, or even directive, service to satellite operators to avoid
collisions and avoid contributing to the existing space debris population. That implies that space
‘rules of the road’ may be established.
Australia is qualified
In respect of managing space traffic from Australia, here are some capabilities we already have.
 Tracking sensors: Australia has a growing number of sensors for tracking objects in
space, including C-Band radar, Space Surveillance Telescope and space object laser
tracking. Australian companies such as Saber Astronautics have been developing the
means to ‘mine’ the enormous amount of space-related data from radio astronomy
32
sensors, notwithstanding that these were not originally designed with space traffic
management in mind.
 Moving debris: the Space Environment Research Centre is exploring how lasers for
space object tracking based in Australia could be used for moving space debris at risk of
colliding with active satellites. It also conducts other research to improve the quality of
orbital predictions.
 Position reporting: the University of New South Wales has been conducting research
into the use of satellite-based GPS receivers for position reporting and research to better
understand and predict the orbital path of space debris. Drawing on the air traffic
management analogy, it is also developing a space traffic management system.
 Australia’s reputation: Australia has a strong reputation in respect of air traffic
management and search and rescue – we provide these services for more than 11% of the
Earth’s surface by ourselves.
Australia can benefit
Both myself and others have advocated for the global strategic importance of normalising the
space environment. This involves establishing regular and predictable patterns of behaviour
through legal rules and less formal practices and procedures. It is also a matter of national
strategic significance.
An international space regulator is almost certainly going to emerge in the next decade and is
likely to have some sort of gatekeeper function, including ensuring safety and sustainability in
space through effective space traffic management.
Whichever nations play an active part in this role stand to gain significant international influence,
and also significant commercial opportunities. This is particularly important with the impending
launches of mega-constellations whose operating satellites must be protected.
Australia can and should have a key part in global space traffic management.
Author
Duncan Blake
PhD candidate, law and military uses of outer space, University of Adelaide
Disclosure statement
Duncan Blake is affiliated with the Space Industry Association of Australia. He is also a
consultant to International Aerospace Law and Policy Group, which has previously advocated for
an Australian role in space traffic management.
Comment by Pietro F
‘Australia can benefit’? HOW? Will the space polluters pay us? I doubt that!
Should not the responsibility and costs of a clean-up be for those causing the mess? Or must
we protect space at our expense, solely for the self-congratulatory benefit of ‘having done a
good thing’? Is this not a major responsibility for the UN to address, perhaps in the context of
protecting the human rights to a safe space environment?

33
Tips for Scenario 8

 Blake structures the argument that Australia should fill the role of
international space traffic management by using subheadings and a logical
order: defining the problem; explaining why Australia is qualified (including
the use of a bullet list); and then arguing how Australia can benefit from this.
Consider the context of the article and how the target audience is likely to
respond to this structure.
 The inclusion of the writer’s credentials listed at the end of the text lends
authority and credibility to his argument by presenting Blake as well qualified
to discuss the subject, and positioning readers to believe that his conclusions
are based on research and expert knowledge.
 Blake’s tone is assertive, as evident in his use of such phrases as ‘the
Australian space industry … can seize this opportunity’ and ‘Australia can and
should have a key part’. Comment writer Pietro F’s tone is also assertive but
he achieves this through the use of repeated rhetorical questions expressed in
formal and even condescending language; for example ‘Should not ...?’ and ‘Is
this not …?’.
 With any scenario, it is imperative that you analyse the accompanying image.
In this case, you could comment on: the simplicity (and even humour) of the
image, which balances some of the technical detail in the article and helps
Blake to achieve an accessible tone; the Australian flag on the rocket ship,
which helps to appeal to a sense of national pride and patriotism that Blake’s
text attempts to evoke; and the framing of the image, which de-emphasises the
earth and focuses on space, contributing to Blake’s implication that space is
the ‘new frontier’ in international law and politics, and should be embraced by
Australia.

34
Scenario 9: Climbing Uluru

Task
A group of Year 11 students from Westlake High participated in an Outdoor
Education study tour around the Northern Territory. Two students, Anh N
and Briohny W, made speeches to the group before they visited Uluru,
which are presented here.
The t-shirt that Anh N wore while making his speech, as well as the poster
he referenced during the speech, are displayed alongside the text.
The management board of Uluru has recently made the decision to ban the
climb from October 2019, for cultural, environmental and safety reasons.

35
Don’t climb
Anh N: Good morning fellow Outback Oz

adventurers.
Here we are in the magnificent Australian
outback on our Outdoor Ed study tour. As you
all know, tomorrow we will be visiting Uluru,
the spectacular rock formation that rises up out
of the remote outback and symbolises the
spiritual heart of Australia.
Tomorrow, we have the option to choose
whether we will climb Uluru. As a respectful,
culturally sensitive and informed traveller, I
think it’s an easy choice. The Board of
Management has recently announced they’re
banning people from climbing, starting in 2019,
due to cultural, environmental and safety
reasons. I’m happy to honour this decision and
not climb, even though we still officially can.
Firstly, the Anangu people are the traditional owners of the land on which Uluru is situated. I
know some people have said they want to climb because they want to connect with the land
and engage with Aboriginal culture, but actually, it will do the opposite. For the Anangu, it’s
a sacred place which should be respected, not trampled on. As my t-shirt points out, it’s not
Disneyland. The local people have been asking visitors for years not to climb, but they’ve
been ignored and disrespected. Instead, they ask that visitors walk around the base, to see the
rock up close and from all sides, and to discover the intimate details like native flora and
fauna, the changing colours and textures of the rock, and the ancient cave art. If you really
want to have an authentic experience, let’s get the tour around the base. We’ll get to hear
Tjukurpa stories from the guides; visit Talinguru Nyakunytjaku, the purposefully created
viewing platform that gives spectacular views of the site; and see the special Men’s and
Women’s walks. These opportunities will really allow us to connect with and understand
Anangu culture.
There used to be bumper stickers and flags that pronounced to the world ‘I climbed Ayers
Rock’, like the one on this poster. I think we’ll look back on the ‘climb’ in the same way we
do on the outdated name ‘Ayers Rock’. It’s a practice that belongs to a bygone era. We know
better now. Instead of charging our way to the top, just to plant an imaginary flag or tick an
item off a meaningless ‘must-do’ list, let’s listen to the locals, and get a better experience of
this incredible place by going on a tour around the base.

36
Secondly, the environmental impact of climbing Uluru is devastating. It’s not the same as
climbing something like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. That’s a human-made structure. It has
stairs that can be repaired when they become scuffed or slippery. The damage done to the
sandstone surface of Uluru by so many plodding feet cannot be undone; the rock cannot be
repaired back to its natural state, and any efforts to do so would damage it further.
People leave rubbish, graffiti their names, vomit from the exertion and even use the rock as a
toilet. This is disgusting. Imagine people doing that in your own garden, or church, or any
place you feel a special connection to. It all washes down in the rain and pollutes the local
waterholes. No wonder the climb is being banned for environmental reasons. It’s a long climb
and we’d need to drink lots of water – do you want to risk nature calling when there’s no
option to use a bathroom up there?
Thirdly, it’s not a safe climb. It was never set up to be a safe climb. If the idea of being
disrespectful or harmful to the environment is not enough to deter you, the thought of physical
harm might. Did you know Uluru is taller than the Eiffel Tower and the Chrysler Building?
People have fallen off and died, so now there’s a flimsy chain to hang onto, but over 35
people have died on the climb in recent decades, mostly from heart attacks. There are no
medical facilities up there. If there’s an emergency, helicopter crews of specialist climbing
teams will need to come to the rescue – a huge waste of money and resources when people
should have just stayed on the ground. If you’re at all worried about your fitness, or if you’re
scared of heights, you definitely shouldn’t climb.
I’m so excited for tomorrow. I can’t wait to watch the rock change colour during sunrise and
then to get up close and personal and do an informative tour around the base. I’ll engage fully
with the landscape, knowing that I’m not offending anyone or contributing to environmental
degradation by doing so. You’re all sensible and responsible travellers, so I hope you’ll join
me.
Thank you.
Do climb
Briohny W: Look guys, I’m going to climb. I’ve been hanging out to do this for months, and
I thank my lucky stars that this ban has not yet come into place. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. As of next year, no one will be allowed to do this. One day I’ll be able to bring
my kids and grandkids back here and tell them I climbed to the top. Don’t you want to be able
to say you’ve done that?
In Sydney, I climbed the Harbour Bridge. In Paris, I stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I got
awesome photos at the tops of both of them, and I’m planning on doing the same tomorrow. I
like getting to the top to take in the surroundings, to truly understand the context of the
structure in the landscape.
I’m drawn to the top of the rock – I want to feel what it feels like up there, and to see the
view. I just don’t think I’d get the same satisfaction from walking around the base.
It’s a personal choice for everyone here to make. The climb is open and it’s our individual
right to choose what we want to do.
Cheers for listening.

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Tips for Scenario 9

 Make sure you engage with the context and text type presented in the
‘Background information’ box. As a speech in front of a group of fellow
students, the way both speakers address their audience, the use of descriptive
language to paint a scene in the audience’s imagination, and the use of
signposting (firstly, secondly …) to help the audience aurally follow the
arguments are all elements worth considering in an analysis.
 With no other visual stimuli, the audience is likely to examine the graphic
closely. Consider the associations the audience is likely to have with
Disneyland. Think about commercialism, hordes of tourists, queues, tickets and
toys, and consider the contrast the speaker is aiming to establish between the
theme park and Uluru.
 Both speakers are familiar with their audience, which consists of their fellow
Outback Oz classmates. Anh uses a more formal tone, flattering his peers by
calling them ‘sensible and responsible travellers’ and inviting them to side
with him by being ‘culturally sensitive and informed’. This is intended to
appeal to the audience’s desire to behave ethically and to want to identify
themselves as good people.
 Briohny’s more conversational and casual style of speech – ‘Look, guys’; ‘I’ve
been hanging out to do this’ – is aimed at making her appear genuine and
relatable to the audience of her peers, encouraging them to feel relaxed and
therefore receptive to her opinion. She uses anecdotes about climbing to the
top of other tall structures (Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Eiffel Tower) to
draw parallels with Uluru that position the audience to wonder why it should
be treated differently. In framing the decision to climb as an individual choice,
she steers the discussion away from ethical considerations and towards
personal preferences.

38
Scenario 10: See Australia first

Task
A collage of images with the headline ‘Thinking of heading overseas? Why
not explore your own backyard and #SeeAustraliaFirst?’ appeared in the
social media newsfeeds of Australian users between the ages of 18 and 30.
When the image or headline is clicked on, the full article opens in a new
page at www.epicvansaustralia.com.au
‘Wanderlust’ means a deep desire to travel.

39
See Australia First!

Thinking of heading overseas? Why not
explore your own backyard and
#SeeAustraliaFirst?
You’ve finished school or uni or maybe
you’re just bored of work. You’re ready
for that big adventure – new people,
parties and places are calling your name.
You drop months’ or years’ worth of your
hard-earned cash on a 24-hour plane trip
to Europe. The first person you meet gets
super excited when they find out you’re
from Australia – the Daintree Rainforest /
Bruny Island / Margaret River is the most
beautiful place on Earth, they claim. Oh,
you say. You’re embarrassed. You’ve
never actually been there.
Rewind. Save those dollars. Grab a mate or two and a van and hit the road – any direction will
do. We live in the lucky country, after all. Follow your nose towards sunsets, white sand
beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, free camping spots and backpacker pubs. Not exciting
enough? Try skydiving over the Great Ocean Road. Climb the Bridge in Sydney. Four-wheel
drive on the beaches in Queensland. See crocodiles in the wild up north. Dance on a table
somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Swim with sharks in the west. Need more ideas? Check
out our ‘30 Awesome Road Trip Routes’ article.
Jump on the van-wagon
Meet Kayla and Thom from Adelaide. They’re both twenty-four and have just finished their
boring finance degrees. They’re not ready to settle down into full-time work just yet.
‘We could have spent all our savings on about two or three months overseas,’ Thom said. ‘We
figured we could make the money last a whole year on the road here instead.’
So far, their trip has taken them from Adelaide, along the coast of Victoria, and up the East
Coast to Cairns. The clever campers plan to complete the loop by heading into the Northern
Territory and then down through WA. ‘Every day when we wake up, we have no idea where
we’re going to stay that night. The freedom is amazing. If we like the vibe of a place, we
might stay a couple of weeks. If it’s a hole, we just move on,’ he added.
‘You start off thinking you know your own country, but then you realise how huge it is,’
Kayla added. ‘I guess people head off overseas looking for those new experiences, but we’ve
found that equally by exploring Australia.’
Their highlights? ‘Oh, the Rock Slides at Big Crystal Creek – the ultimate waterfall with
plunge pool,’ Kayla said. And camping on the beach at a secret spot where they swam every
morning with dolphins.

40
‘Rainbow Beach at Double Island Point,’

Thom added. ‘We swam with turtles after
four-wheel-driving along the beach for an
hour.’
What will they remember forever, when the
trip is over and adult life resumes? ‘Waking
up every single morning excited about what
we might find and where we might end up,
knowing that each sunrise is a brand new
day. The feeling of no deadlines, just
freedom to truly appreciate the country we
live in,’ Kayla said.
As far as life on the road goes, Kayla and Thom have a pretty good set-up. They bought a
used campervan and revamped the interior: cleverly fitting ‘Trudy’ out with a pulldown bed,
table, two chairs, cupboards, drawers, surfboards and pushbikes.
‘Trudy is our friend and our home,’ Kayla said. ‘She’s got so much character. And she’s
taught us important life skills. My parents will be so proud – I didn’t even know how to
change a tyre before and I could barely cook an egg. Now we’ve rewired all the electrics and
practically become amateur mechanics, and we’re masterchefs at creating yummy one-pot
meals.’
Click here to see more dreamy van set-ups.
#VanLife
You may ask: Why explore the country in a van, rather than trips by plane, train, or even car?
The answer: ultimate freedom. Everything you need is with you. Take the coastal route or the
scenic drive, stop when you find a nice spot, pull out the camping chairs and cook up your
lunch. Continue driving until you find a beach to swim at, waterfall to jump in, or hiking trail
to explore. Find free camping areas to pull up to sleep or dock into powered sites. It’s a
choose-your-own-adventure of the best possible kind.
Backpackers from overseas are exploring Australia
properly – from behind the wheel of a trusty van.
According to Tourism Research Australia, there
were over 645,000 international backpackers doing
laps around the country between June 2016 and June
2017. But young Aussies are missing out – the
numbers were too small to count.
Don’t put off seeing your own country until you’re
grey-haired and creaky-hipped. Choose
#AdventureBeforeDementia.
Epic Vans Australia has special discounts for young Aussie travellers, because we want you
to get out there and explore our own amazing country. Don’t wait for the backpacker in
London to tell you how good it is – call us about renting or buying a van, and follow your
wanderlust to adventures and good times.

41
Tips for Scenario 10

 Note that the target audience for this advertisement is social-media-savvy 18-
to 30-year-olds. Consider how different features of the piece work together to
persuade this group. Think about the headline encouraging readers to click on
the link, the highly stylised and idealised images, the use of links to additional
articles and the hashtags.
 The first paragraph is written in the second-person (‘you’), appealing directly
to the reader by encouraging them to put themselves in the scene. It’s likely
that the company’s target market of 18- to 30-year-olds browsing social media
are covered by one of the three scenarios (finished school / finished uni / bored
at work) introduced in the first sentence – and by recognising themselves in
this scenario, readers are likely to be inclined to read on.
 The example of going overseas only to be ‘embarrassed’ that you don’t know
your own country, coupled with the claim ‘young Aussies are missing out’ and
the advice ‘Don’t put off seeing your own country until you’re grey-haired and
creaky-hipped’ all work together to position the reader to feel fearful about
potentially missing out, encouraging them to be proactive, to ‘follow [their]
wanderlust’ – and to complete the company’s call to action, which is ‘call us
about renting or buying a van’.
 Is it obvious from the headline and start of the article that this is an
advertisement for a company that rents and hires vans, or does this only
become apparent towards the end of the article? Consider why the writer
might have structured the piece in this way. For instance, think about how the
number of viewers clicking on the link might be affected if the link was clearly
labelled as an advertisement.

42
Sample student response for Scenario 1

In light of River Bay Council’s announcement that paid parking would be introduced into the
small town of Murrumbul in 2019, debate has arisen within the municipality regarding the
efficacy of such measures, as well as the challenge such charges pose to Australian values of
equity, compassion and community. Those directly affected by the council’s intentions, such
as parents, taxpayers and small business owners, have expressed their concerns in a series of
Letters to the Editor, informal in register, published in the local Bayside News. These personal
responses are aimed at an audience of fellow townspeople and at River Bay Council members,
and capture the range of essentially pejorative reactions, from outrage and frustration to
measured criticism, as outlined below.
From the outset, Luca Mahoney’s highly personal, informal letter adopts an incensed tone
in its blunt, direct title, ‘Paid parking? Not in my backyard!’ to reflect local anger, later
reinforced by the use of the idiom ‘seeing red’. By combining the personal pronoun ‘my’ with
the noun ‘backyard’, he promotes a positive image of his neighbourhood and how this issue
will negatively impact its individuals and encroach on their homes and families. Furthermore,
by peppering his title with rhetorical questions and exclamations, Mahoney makes clear that
the composition to follow will be unequivocal in its stance against the council’s proposition.
The writer’s early argument heatedly condemns paid parking as a construct of ‘harebrained’,
‘greedy’ and ‘unfriendly’ councillors who are ignorant of local sensitivities and determined to
destroy the natural beauty and balance of Murrumbul for the sake of an easy profit. Moreover,
the inflammatory phrase ‘crack cocaine’ posits the idea that the council’s actions are noxious
and bordering on illegal; this is furthered by a series of highly negative word choices such as
‘ugly’, ‘mess’, ‘chopping’ and ‘knocked down’, which build up an impression of the council at
odds with the community’s charming spirit. The accompanying visual of a car behind an
expired parking meter shows that paid parking is at the forefront of the council’s agenda. Their
voracious intentions, symbolised by the image’s ‘EXPIRED’ meter and the ‘LIMIT 30
MINUTES’ reminder, are negatively contrasted against the ‘go-slow vibe’ conjured by the
every-man car in the background. This, added to the repeated polarisation of collective
pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘them’, connotes a sense of panic and urgency, and challenges the
audience’s values of morality and compassion, thus positioning them to support his ‘call to
arms’ to the local community.
Mahoney’s invective then shifts tone to highlight his concern for local businesses and
residents through an anecdote about the experience of a ‘dear friend’ in nearby River Bay. This
gives a human face to the potential consequences of the council’s decision, and serves as an
alarmist appeal in its frightening, hyperbolic statistics: ‘lost 20% of her turnover’ and ‘$100,000
in debt’. Additionally, by paralleling this individual’s experience with that of retailers across
the wider community and highlighting a trifecta of losses in profits, jobs, and tourists, the writer
affirms his contention that this ‘madness’ is fuelled by council avarice. Moreover, while
Mahoney does briefly acknowledge that Murrumbul residents would be exempt from paid

43
parking, which serves to give balance to his stance and boost his credibility, he quickly moves
on to outline the parents, friends and children on the community’s outskirts who would be
penalised; in doing so, he fosters a sense of fear at the possible fragmenting of this ‘picturesque
country town’. Thus, readers are positioned to reflect on the negative personal and financial
impacts of paid parking.
In conclusion, Mahoney presents a more tempered and broader cultural appeal about
maintaining the rural sanctity of ‘meandering’ Murrumbul against a destructive tide of urban
decay. Demonstrating a clear antipathy for what he perceives as the threat of inner-city
interlopers, Mahoney contrasts the town’s appeal (its ‘vibe’ and ‘olde-worlde feel’) with the
negatives of inner-city life: ‘parking’, ‘congested’ and ‘busy’. Mahoney seeks to advocate for
hope and commonsense as his final impressions. This, balanced by the colloquial language
observed in ‘cop a parking fine’, endeavours to unite his Murrumbul readership behind his
impassioned polemic.
While supporting the spirit of Mahoney’s letter, Claudia Crow assumes a more measured
tone to condemn a lack of ‘due diligence’ by River Bay Council. She argues that tourists are
Murrumbul’s economic life-blood, that tourists will go to ‘neighbouring towns’ if forced to pay,
and thus Murrumbul will be financially crippled without them. In addition, she undermines the
council’s reason for paid parking – as a tax that will not impact residents – through the
connotations of the pejorative vocabulary choices ‘touted’ and ‘claiming’. Such word choices,
like Mahoney’s, imply nefarious behaviour on the council’s part, casting doubt in the reader’s
mind as to the reliability of local government and its procedures.
Crow’s tone becomes more reproving as she presents what should be done in Murrumbul
to address procedural and systemic failings; her semantic field indicates with ‘logical’, ‘good
governance’, ‘data’ and ‘informed’ that the council can positively revise its plans for generating
revenue and significant wrongs can be righted. Crow’s approach here is strengthened by
colloquial phrases like ‘as any local will tell you’ and ‘we’ll lose them’. Added to the reiteration
of inclusive collective pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘our’, these aim to engender trust in her
contention, while appealing to her readership’s community values and their fiscal fears.
Both letters, composed by Murrumbul residents, mandate not only for a revision of the
council scheme of paid parking before the intended installation of parking meters in Murrumbul
in 2019, but also identify possible corruption within the council. These contentions are
underlined by recurrent appeals to readership values of morality and fairness, and fervent tones
that variously condemn ‘horribly wrong’ governance while supporting the community and
calling for ‘engagement’ from local subscribers.

44

In the modern world, the internet has emerged as a powerful tool through which political change
can occur. It is this realisation that prompted television news and opinion program The Project
to join forces with environmental organisation Clean Up Australia in order to create the
#BanTheBag campaign. In a petition published on change.org entitled ‘#BanTheBag in NSW,
Victoria and WA’, the campaign organisers write in an informative manner, inviting their
Australian audience to apply pressure to key Australian politicians to ban single-use plastic
bags in order to prevent a ‘serious and avoidable environmental disaster’. In response to the
assertions made in the petition, student Jo posted a comment on the change.org site in which
she agrees that action must be taken to ‘help the environment’, but contends in an authoritative
manner that insufficient research has occurred to prove the validity of the #BanTheBag
campaign and its hoped-for effects.
In an image positioned immediately beneath the petition title, the organisers present a
graphic that clearly captures the goals of the campaign and reinforces the information provided
in the opening paragraphs. The smiling faces of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Victorian
Premier Daniel Andrews and WA Premier Mark McGowan sit above text describing them as
‘three great Aussies’, portraying the politicians in a heroic, rather than derogatory, light. This
visual summary of the campaign’s initiative indicates to readers that their voices can prompt
change, thus generating feelings of empowerment and positivity. The image is paired with a
text box that encourages readers to ‘sign this petition’ and join the ‘170,991’ who ‘have signed’,
thus giving the readers a sense that ‘support … is overwhelming’ for the campaign, a fact further
reinforced by statistics indicating that consumer support is as high as ‘81%’ in some states.
These elements combine to encourage the reader to align themselves with a popular cause and
to feel that they can contribute to meaningful change with a simple click of a button.
The petition graphically highlights that the public should ‘keep up the pressure’ on the
premiers to ‘#BanTheBag’ in order to protect the environment from single-use plastic bags. An
illustration depicts sea life frantically swimming away from what appears to be a sea monster,
composed entirely of plastic bags, which looks set to attack the panicked creatures. This
emotive image is designed to evoke readers’ concern and thus position them to wish to protect
our animals and the environment, and the hashtag of ‘#BanTheBag’, combined with the
campaign logo, suggests the steps that can be taken. The barrage of statistics, designed to
generate shock, that follows the illustration reveals that Australians use ‘ten million bags every
day’, that ‘eighty million plastic bags … end up in our litter stream, killing 100,000 birds and
marine animals every year’, and that plastic bags can ‘take up to 1,000 years to break down’.
The authority with which these revelations are made suggests that significant scientific research
into single-use plastic bags has proven that banning them will directly benefit the environment.
Commenter Jo, who seeks to establish her authority on the issue by revealing that she is
a student of ‘Environmental Management & Sustainability’, aims to counter these claims of
scientific credibility. Jo accedes that ‘replacing shopping bags with other materials may solve
45
some environmental issues’, a reasonable attitude intended to incline the audience to view her
as balanced in her approach to the issue. But she cautions that ‘not enough research’ has been
done on the environmental impacts of plastic bag alternatives. Her citing of ‘a UK study’ and
‘an Australian study’ reinforces the impression of her as concerned with facts and evidence,
enhancing the validity of her call for caution. Jo’s suggestion that alternatives such as paper
bags and cotton bags may have a greater ‘impact on global warming’ than single-use plastic
bags aims to nullify the claims made by the campaign organisers.
While the writers of the petition are careful not to employ any accusatory language when
outlining the various environmental impacts of plastic bags, the closing paragraphs heighten
readers’ desire to see change occur at a legislative level and to make changes to their own
consumer habits. It is suggested that the legacy of the banning plastic bags will be felt for
generations to come. The possessive ‘your’ that prefaces the reference to ‘great-great-great-
great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren’ positions the reader to
consider the lasting impact on their own descendants of a change that has occurred in ‘countries
around the world’ and will be read about ‘in … history books’. This point about descendants is
subsequently repeated, but this time prefaced with the inclusive ‘our’, thus implying that this is
an issue for which all Australians must take responsibility. It is on the point that change must
occur to protect the environment that Jo suggests she is in agreement with the organisers,
asserting that ‘I want to help the environment too’, but she cautions reader to avoid the
‘emotional reaction’ which the petition seeks to elicit and instead calls upon Australians to ‘do
more research and make the best decision’.
Both the campaign organisers of #BanTheBag and Jo conclude their arguments with an
appeal to their audience. Making a clear assumption that their readers will have been persuaded
to their cause, the petition creates a sense of urgency as it calls the readers to sign the petition
then repeats the opening imperative that they ‘encourage’ our political leaders to ‘lead the way’.
In contrast, Jo employs a calm and authoritative tone to persuade her readers to pause and
consider the implications of what they are being asked to do in the petition. Through an appeal
to patriotism similar to that of the petition that calls for Australia to ‘lead on the issue’, Jo
invokes ‘our beautiful country’ and ‘our precious Earth’, but rather than seek a ban on plastic
bags she emphasises reason and evidence in her call for Australia to research further to ensure
the correct path is taken.

46

The transcript of a YourSay radio broadcast accompanied by a provocative image provides
divergent views on the contentious issue of social media access for children aged 6–12.
Prompted by radio host Matilda Clark, caller Zara contends that the ‘Messenger Kids’ app
proposed by Facebook is bad for children and deeply suspicious, while caller Dane argues that
the app is actually a sensible solution to problems regarding children’s social media use. The
image accompanying the transcript aims to provoke concern about the app, and the issue, in
readers of the website.
The text is clearly structured according to the contributions made by the radio host,
Matilda Clark, a Facebook spokesperson, and Clark’s two callers, Zara and Dane. The text is
directed at YourSay listeners already invested in the issue and, due to the provocative nature of
the issue at hand, is also designed to be shared on social media as a means to continuing the
public conversation. But most specifically, the text’s target audience is parents.
The image that appears atop the text, showing children transfixed by mobile devices, is
placed to gain the reader’s immediate attention by portraying a scene familiar to many people,
especially parents. By showing a photograph of children engrossed by the digital world, the
image provokes readers to consider the implications of social media for young people; in this
way, it positions them to be wary of increases in children’s use of such technology. This also
aims to instil fear into parents whose children wish to be internet users.
Host Matilda Clark’s opening remarks accompany the photo and give context to the issue.
Clark has a measured tone and explains the app is ‘aimed at six- to twelve-year-olds’, thus
setting the scene for the discussion that ensues. Clark also aims to build solidarity with her
audience by using the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ in ‘today we’ve heard that Facebook is launching
“Messenger Kids”’. This befits her role as a radio host.
Clark then plays an ‘audio snatch’ from a Facebook spokesperson, whose agenda is
clearly to promote the company’s latest product and to alleviate the fears of parents, teachers
and others. The spokesperson, using the measured tone typical of a corporate press release,
promotes the product by appealing, predominantly, to family values and linking children’s use
of Messenger Kids to familial cohesion. They use three specific examples including ‘video chat
to talk to grandparents’ and ‘sending Mom a decorated photo’ to illustrate the impact of the app
on families’ ability to communicate better. These warm examples, including the use of the
casual and affectionate term ‘Mom’ rather than the more formal ‘mother’ are designed to
present a highly positive image of Messenger Kids, emphasising the way in which it can
promote rather than undermine interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, the spokesperson
anticipates concerns about cyber-safety by using the adverb ‘safely’ and the alliterative phrase
‘safer solution’, as well as emphasising ‘the level of control parents’ will have.
The emotional response of Zara to the proposal stands in stark contrast to the controlled
tone of the Facebook spokesperson and, in this way, is intended to prompt the website’s

47
audience to question the veracity of Facebook’s claims. Zara aims to deeply alarm the audience
by portraying the app as a danger to children. She uses loaded language such as ‘negative effects
of social media’, ‘mental health issues’ and ‘online bullying’, all of which are very sensitive
topics for parents of children in this age group and, therefore, triggers to make them less likely
to accept the app. Furthermore, Zara escalates her appeal to fear by linking such technology to
‘disturbing and creepy videos that some sickos are targeting at kids’ and the reference to ‘dodgy
people with dangerous intentions’. By overtly linking this technology to predators targeting
children, Zara is appealing to fear in a hyperbolic manner and hoping that parents’ concern for
the safety of their children will trump all other views. She adds to this by alluding to ‘YouTube
Kids’ which, evidently, was open to abuse. This line of argument is designed to cause parents
to reject the technology outright.
Zara also portrays herself as a trustworthy advocate on the issue by stating, ‘As a
marketer, I see the appeal’. Here she aims to appear a knowledgeable professional, able to
identify Facebook’s hidden agenda to ‘get kids in young, get them addicted’. Using the IT term
‘data’ and the internet acronym ‘FOMO’ bolsters her credibility in this field. However,
ultimately, Zara reaffirms her scepticism for the app, and her overall contention, with, ‘As a
parent, I see a big red flag’. Here, the metaphor of the red flag is used to signal the danger that,
in Zara’s view, is inherent in Facebook’s new product and that parents must prevent.
In stark contrast, Dane presents a less alarmist perspective on the issue. As well as using
a laid-back tone exemplified by colloquial language such as, ‘yeah, hi Matilda’ and ‘I tell you
what’, Dane aims to seem qualified on the topic by identifying as a ‘Grade 6 teacher’. These
two elements serve to make him both relatable to the audience and knowledgeable. Dane’s
contention is that Messenger Kids is ‘a good solution’ to the problems that exist in allowing
children social media access. He argues that children already use ‘Facebook and Instagram and
Snapchat’ and that the Messenger Kids innovation will prepare them better for the online world
while maintaining ‘parental control’. He contends that he witnesses students using this
technology that ‘they love’. Thus, he aims to have parents empathise with children rather than
banning them from using devices. Dane uses figurative language to illustrate his view by stating
that Messenger Kids is akin to ‘training wheels … until they take off on their own’. Overall,
Dane’s arguments are designed to sound more nuanced than Zara’s and to reassure parents that
they need not fear the app.
By publishing a provocative image and three contrasting views on the merits of

Messenger Kids, this text clearly aims to provoke readers. Indeed, it ends with a call to action
of, ‘Call or text in to have your say’. The complexities of the matter, conveyed by the host,
Facebook’s spokesperson, Zara and Dane, suggest that a solution is far from clear – especially
given the fear that the piece will likely instil in concerned parents.

2018 Section C Scenarios

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YEAR 12 Exam Practice

Argument and persuasive language

This book contains:

Scenario 1: Paid parking 5

Scenario 3: Facebook for children 11

Scenario 4: Not all graffiti is vandalism 14

Scenario 5: Great Forest National Park 18

Scenario 6: Congestion tax 22

Scenario 7: Amazon in Australia 26

Scenario 8: Traffic cop in space 30

Scenario 9: Climbing Uluru 34

Scenario 10: See Australia first 38

Sample student response for Scenario 1 42

Sample student response for Scenario 2 44

Sample student response for Scenario 3 46

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

Exam criteria for Section C – Argument and persuasive language

Criteria What you have to do

Understanding of the  Show a clear understanding of the point(s) of view by

Analysis of ways in  Demonstrate an understanding of some of the persuasive

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

How can you improve your score for Section C?

A high-level response: A medium-level response: A low-level response:

focuses on analysing how focuses too much on only identifies language

incorporates analysis of visual includes analysis of visual excludes analysis of visual

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

SECTION C – Argument and persuasive language

Scenario 1: Paid parking

Instructions for Section C

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

Paid parking? Not in my backyard!

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

SECTION C – Argument and persuasive language

Instructions for Section C

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

#BanTheBag in NSW, Victoria and WA

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

Jo, student (Environmental Management & Sustainability)

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

SECTION C – Argument and persuasive language

Scenario 3: Facebook for children

Instructions for Section C

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

SECTION C – Argument and persuasive language

Scenario 4: Not all graffiti is vandalism

Instructions for Section C

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Not all graffiti is vandalism – let’s rethink the public-space debate

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

What art can do

Tips for Scenario 4

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SECTION C – Argument and persuasive language

Scenario 5: Great Forest National Park

Instructions for Section C

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MELBOURNE’S NEW PLAYGROUND

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Copyright © Insight Publications 2018

Tips for Scenario 5

Copyright © Insight Publications 2018