Activity 1: What do governments do to help me, my family and friends?

Print a copy of the list, Do you know someone who has...? Tick all the items to which you replied 'Yes'. Write the person's name next to the item. Note: the person could be you. You may need to ask family members at home about some of these items.

All of these items are an area of our lives for which the Government of Victoria has some or all of the responsibility. Look under 'State Government' at the front of the White Pages to see a full list of these areas. For 2005, look in the Business and Government telephone directory on page 35.

Keep this activity sheet to use later during the activity, 'What are governments doing about these areas of responsibility today?'

Activity 2: Newspaper search

Search some recent newspapers to find as many articles as you can about decisions governments in Australia have made. You can use hard copies of newspapers or you can download information from the websites of our major newspapers:

• The Age at www.theage.com.au
• The Australian at www.theaustralian.news.com.au
• The Herald-Sun at www.heraldsun.news.com.au
• Australian Newspapers Online at www.nla.gov.au/npapers/ Use this National Library of Australia webpage to locate newspapers in all states and territories.

Activity 3: Understanding the decisions

With a partner, select two or more of the articles you found in Activity 2. Re-read these articles and find out:

• what the decision was
• which member of the government presented this idea to the parliament
• who (if anyone) benefits by this decision
• who (if anyone) loses by this decision
• which government department will be responsible for making sure this decision works for the benefit of the community.

Prepare a statement to explain your personal opinion about this decision. For example:

• Do you think it was a responsible or irresponsible decision, a fair or unfair decision?
• Why do you think that this is so?

Challenge yourself and suggest things that you think might make this a better decision. Read your personal opinion to the class. Be prepared to answer any questions or respond to any challenges from your peers. Display all of the articles selected for this activity in your classroom.

Activity 4: Which level of government is responsible?

Use the information you and other class members have collected in the activities above to complete the activity sheet, Who is responsible?

Look at each decision in the newspaper articles displayed in your classroom. Decide which level of government made this decision:

• your local council (local government)
• the Government of Victoria (state government)
• the Federal Government (in Canberra).

Look at a list of what is done by the State Government and the Federal Government in the front of the White Pages. It is a useful checklist for you during this exercise. For 2005, look in the Business and Government book on page 35 for areas of responsibility for the state government and on page 37 for areas of responsibility for the Australian (or federal) Government. Read a local council directory to find out about some of the areas of responsibility of your local government.

Decide which department would be responsible for each decision or area of government activity. Record your answers.

Back to top | Next activity

• Introductory activities
• Investigating the past
• Visiting the exhibition
• Going further

• Activity sheet A: Do you know somebody who has...?
• The Age
• The Australian
• The Herald-Sun
• Australian Newspapers Online at National Library of Australia
• Activity sheet B: Who is responsible?