Year 8 - Civics and Citizenships

representative democracy

a political system based on citizens voting to elect representatives

elections

processes whereby the people are able to choose their representatives and members of parliament

candidates

members of political parties who are nominated to run for office in an election

parliament

an organisation that makes the laws in a country, often with a lower house to draft laws and an upper house to review the proposed law; in Australia, the King's representative (the governor-general) is also part of parliament and officially creates the laws

members of parliament

individuals who have been elected by the people to represent their views and values in parliament

political party

a group of people with similar views and ideas about how a country (nation), state or territory should be governed

coalition

two or more political parties that join together in an attempt to win an election and form government

absolute majority

the requirement of a candidate (or political party) to win over half the votes to be declared the winner of the electoral division (or form the government)

Opposition

the second-largest political party, or coalition of parties, after the government party in the lower house of parliament, which works to scrutinise and oppose government policies

independent

a member of parliament who is not associated with a political party

Westminster parliamentary system

the British parliamentary system, upon which the Australian parliamentary system is modelled

ideologies

sets of ideas or beliefs about politics, economics or society

hung parliament

a parliament where no one political party has enough seats to have the overall majority in the House of Representatives

minority government

a government formed by a party (or coalition of parties) which does not have a majority in the House of Representatives, but is able to govern with the support of the majority all members in the House of Representatives

balance of power

the ability of individuals who are Independents or part of a minor party to decide an issue by the way they vote; this is due to no single party or coalition of parties having majority support

preferential system of voting

a voting system that provides multiple counts of ballot papers to determine who has gained an absolute majority of total votes

formal vote

a valid ballot paper that has been correctly completed in accordance with the instructions

informal vote

an invalid ballot paper that has not been completed in accordance with the instructions and therefore is not counted in the final vote tally

proportional voting

a system of voting which allocates seats in proportion to votes cast for candidates in an election

quota

in a Senate election, the number of votes a candidate must receive before they are elected

constituents

people living in an area that has elected someone to act as a political representative

direct action

forms of public protest that seek to raise awareness about issues

lobbying

making requests to politicians or public groups to try to influence the government to change the law

colonisation

the process of setting up outposts or settlements in other lands, by a country, kingdom or empire

migrants

people who move from one place to another to settle

multicultural

having many different cultures, races and/or religions

community

a group of people who live in the same place and shared interests

rule of law

the idea that everyone is equal before the law, regardless of their power or status in society

crime

an act that breaks an existing law, is harmful to an individual or to society as a whole, and is punishable by law

jury

a group of people who are required to decide on a 'guilty' or 'not guilty' verdict for a case

beyond reasonable doubt

the standard of proof in a criminal trial; the judge or jury must be satisfied that there is no 'reasonable doubt' before finding an accused guilty

burden of proof

the responsibility for proving the case

civil law

an area of law that defines the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups and organisations, and regulates private disputes

statute law

law that is made by parliament; also called statute, legislation, Act of Parliament or statutory law

common law

law that is created by the courts when a judge makes a ruling about a case; also referred to as a precedent, because it sets a standard for all future judges to refer to when deciding a case

precedent

a previous case or example that is used as a guide for decision making when similar circumstances arise

codification

when parliament creates a statute based on a precedent set by a judge

Australian Constitution

a written set of rules and principles that guide the way Australia is governed

federal

relating to the central government of the Commonwealth of Australia

bill

a proposed law that has not been passed by both houses of parliament

royal assent

approval given by the governor-general (as the King's representative) for a bill to become official law

indictable offences

serious criminal offences that are usually heard by a judge and jury

simple offences

less serious criminal offences that are usually heard by a magistrate

damages

an amount of money that a court orders one party to pay to compensate the wronged party for the loss they have suffered

balance of probabilities

the standard of proof in civil disputes; for a plaintiff to be successful, they must establish that it is more probable (i.e. likely) than not that their version of the facts is correct

customary law

rules, customs and traditions upheld by First Nations peoples

Dreaming

a belief system at the centre of some Aboriginal cultures, giving meaning to everything - including creation, spirituality, family, the lands, the waters and the law

Elders

key people and keepers of cultural and spiritual knowledge within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) communities

delegated legislation

rules and regulations made by authorities (such as local councils) who are given the power to do so through an Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

a law made by parliament (state and territory parliaments, or the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia)

abrogation

cancelling a court-made law by passing an Act of Parliament

judgment

the decision of the Court in a particular case