Civics and Citizenships - Glossary

Australian constitution

A document that describes the rules, or laws, that govern Australia and defines its structure, and its citizens’ rights

Bill

A proposed law

Citizenship

A term used to describe the act or status of being a citizen of a society or country

Civics

The study of the rights and responsibilities of citizens within a society or country

Crime

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

Democracy

A key concept in civics and citizenship: a system of government in which the people have the power to determine how they will be ruled, and elect a parliament to make and implement laws on their behalf

Democratic values

A key concept in civics and citizenship: attitudes, values or beliefs that represent the system of democracy

Direct democracy

A system of government where citizens meet together to make laws for their society

Executive

The branch of government responsible for approving laws and putting them into action; it is made up of the prime minister, ministers and governor-general

Expert witness

A witness who can provide important information about a case even though they did not see or hear it take place; expert witnesses are often called upon to apply their professional skills or expertise to a case

Government

The elected members of parliament who make decisions for a nation or state; in Australia, the government is made up of the party or coalition that has won a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament; the lower house of federal parliament is the House of Representatives and the lower house of Victorian state parliament is the Legislative Assembly

Judge

A person who is appointed to apply laws to different cases and decide their outcome in a court of law

Judiciary

The branch of government responsible for upholding the rule of law; it is made up of the High Court and other federal courts

Jury

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

Justice

A key concept in civics and citizenship: the quality of being just; the concept of justice is based upon many differing viewpoints and ultimately states that people and society should behave in a way that is fair, equal and balanced for all

Laws

Formal rules that are designed to govern the way in which people behave and act so we can all live together in one peaceful and united society

Legal practitioner

A person who specialises in knowledge of the law and courtroom arguments, and acts on a defendant’s behalf in court

Legislature

The branch of government responsible for creating the law; it is made up of the two houses of parliament, the Senate and the House of Representatives

Parliament

The national or state law-making body that is made up of elected representatives in both the upper and lower houses with a head of state; in Australia, the national parliament is referred to as the Commonwealth or federal parliament

Participation

A key concept in civics and citizenship: the way in which individuals as good citizens take part in and make a contribution to society

Representative democracy

A system of government where citizens vote for representatives to make laws on their behalf

Rights and responsibilities

A key concept in civics and citizenship: the entitlements and obligations associated with citizenship, which are a cornerstone of modern democracies; citizens have both rights (such as freedom of speech, the right to vote) and responsibilities (such as the requirement to vote in elections, pay taxes, perform jury service)

Westminster system

A key concept in civics and citizenship: the parliamentary system of Australia, which originates in the United Kingdom

Witness

A person who has seen or heard an event or dispute and is called upon to present their observations in court