Worksheet: Political Parties & Independent Representatives in Australian Democracy (Age 13 / Year 8) — Civics & Citizenship VC2HC8K01

Instructions

1. Read through each section carefully. The worksheet is designed to build your understanding step-by-step.
2. Start with Part 1 to match the key terms with their definitions. This will help you with the rest of the activities.
3. In Part 2, you will analyze a fictional election result for the House of Representatives and figure out how a government can be formed.
4. In Part 3, you will explore a different scenario for the Senate to understand the "balance of power."
5. Complete the final reflection questions to think about the bigger picture of Australian democracy.
6. Attempt the optional Challenge Question if you want to stretch your thinking.

Part 1: Know Your Terms

Match the key terms on the left with the correct definition on the right. Write the letter of the correct definition in the "Answer" column.

Part 2: Scenario - Forming a Government

It's election night in Australia! The votes have been counted for the House of Representatives, which has 151 seats. To form a government, a party (or a coalition of parties) needs a majority, which means winning at least 76 seats.

Here are the fictional results:

Use the results above to answer the following questions.

1. Which party won the most seats?
   
   
2. Did any single party win enough seats to form a majority government on its own? Explain your answer.
   
   
3. This situation is called a "hung parliament." The Blue Sky Party wants to form a government. What do they need to do? Who could they ask for support?
   
   
4. Show one possible combination of parties/independents that would give the Blue Sky Party the 76+ seats they need to form government.

   Example: Blue Sky Party seats + ??? seats = Total seats

Part 3: Scenario - The Balance of Power

Now let's look at the upper house, the Senate. The Senate reviews laws (called 'bills') passed by the House of Representatives. To pass a bill in the Senate, the government needs a majority of votes. There are 76 seats in the Senate.

Imagine the new Blue Sky government wants to pass a law. Here are the fictional party numbers in the Senate:

Use the Senate results to answer the following questions.

1. Does the Blue Sky government have a majority of votes (39+ seats) in the Senate to pass laws on its own?
   
   
2. If the Red Rock Party opposes the government's new law, who will the government need to convince to get their law passed?
   
   
3. In this scenario, the Green Leaf Party and the Independents are said to hold the "balance of power." In your own words, what does this term mean?
   
   

Part 4: Your Political Analysis

Answer the following question based on what you've learned.

What is one advantage and one disadvantage of having independents and minor parties holding the balance of power in parliament?

Advantage:

Disadvantage:

Answer Key

Part 1: Know Your Terms

1. C
2. D
3. E
4. B
5. A

Part 2: Scenario - Forming a Government

1. The Blue Sky Party won the most seats (72).
2. No. To form a majority government, a party needs at least 76 seats. The Blue Sky Party only won 72 seats, which is four seats short.
3. They need to negotiate with other elected members to get their support. They could ask the Green Leaf Party and/or some of the Independents to guarantee their support.
4. (Accept any valid combination that reaches 76 or more)
   Example 1: Blue Sky Party (72) + Green Leaf Party (4) = 76 seats.
   Example 2: Blue Sky Party (72) + 4 of the Independents = 76 seats.

Part 3: Scenario - The Balance of Power

1. No, the government only has 34 seats and needs 39 to have a majority in the Senate.
2. They will need to convince either the Green Leaf Party or the Independents (or a combination) to vote with them.
3. It means that a minor party or a group of independents have the deciding vote. Since the major parties don't have a majority, these smaller groups hold the "balance" and can decide whether a law passes or fails.

Part 4: Your Political Analysis

(Answers will vary, but should reflect the following ideas)

Advantage: It ensures that a wider range of views and community interests are considered when making laws, not just the views of the major parties. It can lead to more debate and better laws.

Disadvantage: It can make it difficult for the government to pass laws and get things done, which can slow down progress. It can also give a very small party a lot of power.

Challenge Question

(Answers will vary widely but should identify a specific local issue and link it to the request for support).

Example Answer: "In exchange for my support, I would ask the Blue Sky Party to promise funding to build a new hospital in my electorate. This is important because our current medical centre is too small for our growing population, and residents have to travel for hours to get to the nearest major hospital for serious medical care."