1. What is the definition of democracy?

- Democracy is the system of government in which it is ruled by people

for the people.
2. How are citizens involved in the running of society in a democratic system?
- They elect people who they think should represent them and rule the
country.
3. What is the difference between a direct democracy and a representative democracy?
- Direct democracy is where everyone meets together to make the laws,
whilst representative democracy is where we vote for a representative
who will rule our country and who make laws on our behalf.
4. How does the voting system work in Australia?
- When you turn 18, you are expected to vote. It is compulsory to vote in
Australia.
5. In which countries is voting compulsory and in which countries is it optional?
- In Australia, it is compulsory and in countries such as UK and US, it is
optional.
6. What are democratic values?
- Values which are the beliefs and values in which uphold the
democracy in our society.
7. Why is it important to understand democratic values when examining Australia’s
political system?
- It allows us to assess the government and whether they are ruling us in
true democracy.
8. How can we assess if a government is operating as a true democracy?
- By understanding the democratic values.
9. What are some examples of freedoms that are important in a democratic society?
- We are allowed to practice the freedom of religion, we have the
freedom to protest
10. Why are these freedoms important for living in a democracy?
- theses freedoms are very important for democracy as if we do not
have the right to safely do these, then it defeats the meaning of
democracy.
11. What is the Westminster system of government?
- Government which Australia’s system is based on.
12. Where did the Westminster system originate?
- It originates from the UK, in London, where the British parliament is
located.
13. Which countries have adopted the Westminster system?
- Canada and New Zealand.
14. What are the key features of the Westminster system?

1. House of representatives
2. King Charles the III and GG
3. MP
4. PM
5. Independent legislative (courts) to uphold the laws.
6. Independent civil service which serves the government in power.

15. What is the concept of justice?

- We treat others equally and in a fair, balanced manner.
16. How can justice mean different things to different people?
- Because people come from different cultural backgrounds and learn
different things.
17. How is justice related to our legal system?
- Our Australian and Western Australian legal system believes that
everyone who have the right to fair trial and have justice.
18. What happens when someone breaks the law and is convicted by the courts in
Australia?
- It is said that they have been brought to justice.
19. What are the key features of the Western Australian legal system and the Australian
legal system designed to deliver justice to all citizens?
- To give the right to fair trial to people no matter if they are innocent or
guilty.
20. How does the right to a fair trial contribute to delivering justice to all citizens?
- Know if the person is really guilty or is just accused to be guilty even
if they are innocent.
21. Which civilisations and societies throughout history have practised democracy?
- People from Greek.
22. Where does the term democracy come from?
- From Greek
23. What do ‘demos’ and ‘kratos’ mean in Greek?
- Demos means citizens and kratos means rules
24. How did ancient Greece practise direct democracy?
- Everyone gathered together to make laws.
25. At what age are citizens required to vote in Australia?
- 18 years
26. For which levels of government do citizens vote in Australia?
- Federal, state, local.
27. Is voting compulsory or optional in Australia?
- Compulsory.
28. Is voting compulsory or optional in other democracies such as the United Kingdom or
the United States?
- Optional.
29. What are some examples of democratic values such as respect, equality, fairness, and
freedom?
- Respect: treating others with consideration and valuing their views,
belief, and rights.
- Equality: treating others equally. Everyone has equal opportunities and
rights.
- Freedom: Allows us to be ourselves, act the way we want and express
ourselves.
- Fairness: treating others fairly and in a balanced manner.
30. How do these values contribute to a democratic society?
- Without these values, there would not be any democracy.
31. What happens if these values are not upheld in a democratic society?
- Then it ruins the democracy
32. How can citizens participate and have a say in how their country is run?
- Protest, petitions, making an action.
33. Why is Australia considered the lucky country?
- Because it provides many opportunities for us and gives us the
freedom of movement, assembly, association, religion and speech
within the bounds of law.
34. What are some of the freedoms that people have in Australia?
- Freedom of association, assembly, speech, movement, religion.
35. What is freedom of speech and why is it important for democracy?
- It is the ability for us to publicly express our opinions on behalf of
democracy. It is important because it allows people to think new things
and new ways which can benefit our society.
36. Is freedom of speech protected by the Australian constitution?
- No
37. What are some limitations on freedom of speech in Australia?
- We cannot spread hatred about someone or spread lies about them
which can offend or harm them because they value a religion, or from
a certain racial or cultural background.
38. Are people in Australia free to join any group or organization they wish to?
- Yes
39. Is freedom of association protected by the Australian constitution?
- No
40. What is the freedom of assembly and why is it important for democracy in Australia?
- Freedom of assembly is the right for us to meet up in public or in
private places for political, social purposes. This means, the right to
protest. It is important for democracy as it influences the political
outcomes.
41. Is there an official religion in Australia?
- no
42. Are Australians free to practice any religion they choose?
- yes
43. Can Australian citizens travel freely within and outside of the country?
- yes
44. Are there any limitations on the freedoms of speech, association, assembly, religion,
or movement in Australia?
- yes
45. Can people break the law to express their freedoms in Australia?
- no
46. Are there any laws that restrict members of criminal gangs from meeting as a group in
Australia?
- yes

1. What is freedom of speech?

- Allows us to freely express ourselves through artwork, communication,

written form or cartoons. But there are bounds of law.

2. Does freedom of speech only refer to speaking?

 - no

3. Why is freedom of speech important for democracy?

- Allows us to express ourselves publicly and tell people with power

what we want or people who we are. It can benefit our society as when
people have the freedom of speech, they can think of new ideas for our
society to improve.

4. Is freedom of speech included in the constitutions of many democratic nations?

- yes

5. Is freedom of speech part of the Australian constitution?

- no

6. Are Australians able to express themselves freely without any consequences?

- yes

7. What was the court case between New Zealand’s prime minister and the ABC about?

- New Zealand’s PM took ABC to high court saying that the show four
corners, is a defamation.

8. What is defamation?

- Ruining someone’s reputation.

9. What was the outcome of the court case between New Zealand’s prime minister and
the ABC?

- High court said that, we have the right to criticize the government
without getting told of.

10. What did this court case mean for freedom of speech in Australia?

- Told citizens and people that it is ok to criticise the government and

talk about ideas in how they can be better. So people do not have to be
scared about the consequences when the talk about government in a
not so good way

11. Does freedom of speech mean we can say whatever we want, whenever we want?

- no

12. Why are there restrictions on freedom of speech in Australia?

 - Because some thing which people say (by communication, written
form, artwork e.t.c) can offend or harm someone.

13. What are some types of laws that can limit free speech in Australia?

1. Criminal law: cannot go and encourage someone to harm,

create violence or try out terrorism.
2. Anti-discrimination: we cannot talk bad about someone
because they have a disability or because of a discrimination
because this can harm or offend them
3. Media, broadcasting, telecommunication laws: Australian
media have to follow the classification laws as young people
cannot see inappropriate content.
4. Information law: for example, a journalist cannot publish his or
her work without someone’s personal info such as name and
home address without their permission.

14. Can people encourage violence or harm to others through their speech in Australia?

- no

15. Can people spread offensive or harmful information about people based on their race,
gender, age, disability or religion in Australia?

- No

1. What is freedom of association?

- Allows us to join or form any group or association.

2. What are some examples of groups that people might form or join under freedom of
association?

- Social clubs, political groups.

3. Can people be forced to be part of an association if they do not wish to be involved?

- no

4. Is freedom of association officially protected by the Australian constitution?

- no
5. Has Australia signed any treaties or agreements to ensure citizens receive basic
human rights?

- yes

6. Is freedom of association in Australia encouraged?

- yes

7. Can freedom of association involve breaking Australian law?

- no

8. What are some types of laws that can limit freedom of association in Australia?

1. Criminal: terrorists or criminals cannot meet up as it is harmful

for public
2. Workplace- an employer cannot fire a worker for being part of
an union but a worker can fire the employer when they protest
that the worker shouldn’t be in the union and create crime.

9. Can the courts restrict criminal gangs or terrorist organizations from associating in
Australia?

- yes

10. Is it unlawful to exclude someone from an association based on their disability in

Australia?

- Yes

1. What is freedom of assembly?

- Allows us to freely meet up in public or private places to protest about

social or political purposes.

2. What is the importance of protesting?

- Protesting allows us to voice our opinions publicly and tell the people
with power the needs and wants or things citizens want to be solved.
- It can influence on the political outcomes.

3. What are some ways people can peacefully protest?

1. Rallies (mass meetings)

2. Parade
3. Sit-ins (sitting in a place and refusing to leave without making
their point)
4. Is freedom of assembly protected by the Australian constitution?

- no

5. What treaties has the Australian government signed to protect human rights?

- Iccpr and un

6. Can Australian citizens complain to the UN Human Rights Committee if they believe
their right to assemble freely has not been fairly received?

- yes

7. How do protests gain publicity in Australia?

- Media
- More people who support to make a point
- If the point is big like (racism)

8. What are some recent issues that have been protested in Australia?

- Occupy perth

9. How did the Western Australian state government respond to protests against the
shutdown of remote Aboriginal communities in 2015?

- Protest that they are destructing culture

10. Are there any restrictions on freedom of assembly in Australia?

- Yes: Criminal laws: public assembly law

11. Can criminal law limit freedom of assembly in Australia?

- Yes, criminals cannot meet up and protest.

12. Can public assembly law limit freedom of assembly in Australia?

- Yes if a protest became big and damages properties and hurts people,
then people with power have the right to end the protest.

13. Can police end a gathering if they believe it will become a riot, be violent or disturb
the peace of a public place?

- yes

14. Can protests that become violent be shut down by police to prevent damage to
property or people coming to harm?

- Yes
1. What is freedom of religion?

- It is the freedom practise any faith or religion or no religion at all.

2. Is freedom of religion extended to all religions?

- yes

3. Is Australia a multicultural nation?

- yes

4. Does Australia allow religious institutions to directly influence the decisions of

government?

- no

5. What is secularism?

- The separation between church and the state. Even if many people are
Christians in Australia, Christianity is not overrided.

6. Are Australia’s public health, education and political institutions free from religious
connections?

- Yes.

7. Can religions still influence the beliefs and decisions of Australians?

- yes

8. Is freedom of religion considered to be an important part of Australia’s democracy?

- yes

9. Can freedom of religion be restricted by the law in Australia?

- yes

10. How does the Criminal Code interfere with freedom of religion or expression of
religious beliefs in Australia?

- People cannot do terrorism and because of this, it is a limit to express

their faith in their religion.
1. What is freedom of movement?

- It is the freedom in which we can go to any state, territory, or country

we want. For citizens, they can easily have the freedom of movement
but for migrants it will take some requirements.

2. What does freedom of movement refer to within a country?

3. What is the right to leave and re-enter a country?
4. Are citizens in Australia allowed to move freely between states and territories?
5. Can Australian citizens leave and return to Australia whenever they like?
6. Are there any conditions placed on migrants who are not citizens in Australia?
7. Is freedom of movement included in the Australian constitution?
8. What is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)?
9. What rights does the ICCPR outline?
10. Does the ICCPR state that everyone has the right to liberty of movement within a
country?
11. Does the ICCPR state that everyone has the right to leave any country, including their
country of origin?
12. Does the ICCPR state that everyone has the right to enter their own country?
13. Who has the responsibility to ensure that freedom of movement is not unreasonably
restricted in Australia?
14. Does this right extend to anyone who has legally entered Australia, or only Australian
citizens?
15. Can the government decide who can and cannot enter the country for people who are
not Australian citizens? Is there any debate around this issue?

1. What is the importance of making our voices heard in a democracy?

- We will have to make our voices heard or if we just stay away from
politics then we will not get the outcome, needs, wants we want in-
result.

2. Why is it important to make the most of our democratic rights?

 - So that we can feel more welcomed in Australia (or any other country)
when we are expressing our opinions. We will feel like we can make a
change and have a say in how our country is run. Not only that, so that
if we do not like something that happened or want something, we can
use our rights such as protesting, signing petitions, or writing a letter to
local MP to ask.

3. What are the consequences of ignoring politics or issues of national importance?

- We will not get the results/outcomes we wanted.

4. How can people become informed about the issues they are voting on?

- By referring to more than one source.

5. Why is it difficult to become informed about political issues?

- Media can be biased as people with power who are trying to get voted
can make it look biased by making them look good. When we refer to
more than one source, then we know whether the one source is correct
or not and therefore make an opinion.

6. What is the role of mainstream media in informing people about political issues?

- For people to be informed but biased.

7. How can we participate in democracy as informed citizens?

- By voting

8. Who is eligible to vote in Western Australia?

- Everyone who is 18 and above years.

9. What is Australia’s compulsory voting system?

- In Australia, when you turn 18, from then on, it is compulsory for you
to vote and if you do not vote, but have been enrolled to, then you will
have to pay a fine.

10. Why is voting considered a responsibility as well as a right?

- We have the right to influence who runs our country, it is our right to
make up the choice of how our country is run. Not only that, if it is a
right, then it makes our country democratic.

11. How does Australia divide the country into electorates?

 - Geographically there are 151 electorates. Across the country, a small
area is one electorate and the 151 electorates make up the whole
Australia. The MP, is in charge of helping people in their electorate.

12. What is the role of an elected member of parliament (MP)?

- - to voice their opinions of their electorate and the key issues which
need to be addressed

13. What are some responsibilities of an MP as an elected representative?

14. How can we actively participate in our democracy by contacting our elected
representatives?
15. What is direct action and how can it be used to raise awareness about political issues?
16. What are some examples of direct-action methods?
17. How has direct action been used in the past to gain attention for different causes?
18. Who was Mahatma Gandhi and how did he use direct action to free India from British
rule?
19. What are lobby groups and how do they work to influence political decisions?
20. How can we raise awareness for issues through lobby groups?