hass revision final

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1. COURT SYSTEM (AUSTRALIA)

🔹 Court Hierarchy (lowest → highest)

  • Local / Magistrates Court

  • District Court

  • Supreme Court

  • High Court of Australia

🔹 What each court deals with

Local Court

  • Minor offences

  • Examples: shoplifting, traffic offences

District Court

  • Serious criminal cases

  • Examples: robbery, serious assault

Supreme Court

  • Most serious cases

  • Examples: murder, manslaughter

High Court

  • Highest court

  • Hears:

    • appeals

    • constitutional cases

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2. KEY LEGAL PRINCIPLES

🔹 Precedent

Lower courts follow decisions of higher courts

✔ Ensures:

  • consistency

  • fairness

🔹 Right to Appeal

Ability to take a case to a higher court

✔ Fixes mistakes

🔹 Independent Judiciary

Courts are not influenced by government

🔹 Equality Before the Law

Everyone is treated equally

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3. ROLES IN COURT

  • Judge → controls court, applies law

  • Jury → decides guilty/not guilty

  • Prosecution → proves guilt

  • Defence → defends accused

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4. FAIR TRIAL

  • Presumption of innocence → innocent until proven guilty

  • Burden of proof → prosecution must prove guilt

  • Proof beyond reasonable doubt → jury almost certain

  • Right to a lawyer

  • Right to remain silent

  • Fair and public hearing

  • Impartial judge and jury

  • Right to appeal

❌

5. UNFAIR TRIALS

Examples:

  • Trial by media

  • No lawyer

  • Evidence not fully heard

🔹 Miscarriage of Justice

Innocent person wrongly convicted

Examples:

🗳

6. VOTING SYSTEMS

🔹 Preferential Voting (House of Representatives)

Rank candidates (1,2,3…)

Steps:

  1. Count first preferences

  2. Eliminate lowest

  3. Redistribute votes

  4. Repeat until 50%+

✔ One winner

🔹 Proportional Voting (Senate)

Seats based on % of votes

✔ Multiple winners

✔ Fairer for smaller parties

🔹 Key Difference

  • Preferential → one winner

  • Proportional → multiple winners

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7. GOVERNMENT FORMATION

  • Total seats: 150

  • Needed to win: 76 seats

Types:

  • Majority → 76+ seats

  • Minority → needs support

  • Coalition → parties work together

🔹 Independents

Not in a party

✔ Important:

  • hold balance of power

  • decide government

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8. INFLUENCES ON VOTERS

🔹 Media

  • Shapes opinions

  • Influences how people vote

Disadvantages:

  • bias

  • misinformation

🔹 Opinion Polls

  • Show public opinion

Advantages:

  • predict trends

Disadvantages:

  • can be inaccurate

🔹 Bandwagon Effect

People vote for the most popular party

🔹 Underdog Effect

People support the losing party

🔹 Public Debates

  • Compare candidates

Disadvantages:

  • focus on style

  • oversimplify

🔹 Interest Groups

Promote issues

✔ Influence:

  • pressure government

  • influence voters

🔹 Political Campaigns

  • Advertising

  • Persuasion

🔹 Personal Influences

  • family

  • friends

🔹 Vested Interests

Act for own benefit

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9. SOCIAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY

🔹 Representation

  • gives voice to youth/minorities

  • can misrepresent others

🔹 Algorithms

  • control what you see

✔ Effects:

  • echo chambers

  • bias

  • misinformation

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10. GLOBAL CITIZENS

🔹 Young People

  • activism

  • social media awareness

  • volunteering

🔹 Characteristics

  • understands global issues

  • respects diversity

  • supports human rights

  • takes action

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11. PARLIAMENT BASICS

  • House of Representatives → forms government

  • Senate → reviews laws

  • Governor-General → gives royal assent

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12. RULES VS LAWS

  • Rules → small groups, minor consequences

  • Laws → whole society, serious consequences

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13. ELECTION ROLES

🔹 Scrutineer (THIS IS THE WORD YOU WANTED ✅)

Observes vote counting to ensure fairness

🔹 Polling Official

Runs the voting station and helps voters

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14. DEFINITIONS (EXAM READY)

  • Supreme Court → highest state court

  • District Court → serious cases below Supreme

  • Coercion → forcing through threats

  • Appeal → review by higher court

  • Verdict → final decision

  • Defendant → accused person

  • Swing voter → changes vote

  • Statutes → laws made by parliament

  • Electorate → voting area

  • Candidate → person running

  • Judge → runs court

  • Presumption of innocence → innocent until proven guilty

  • Indictable offence → serious crime

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FINAL MEMORY LIST (MOST IMPORTANT)

If you panic, remember:

  • 76 seats = government

  • Preferential = rank + eliminate

  • Proportional = % = seats

  • Media = influences voters

  • Opinion polls = can be wrong

  • Bandwagon = follow popular

  • Underdog = support losing

  • Interest groups = pressure government

  • Precedent = higher → lower

  • Jury = beyond reasonable doubt