Work in small groups for these activities.

Activity 1: The public wanted land

After gold became more difficult and expensive to find (when underground mining began), many of the people who had migrated to Victoria wanted land to farm to earn their living.

Read the following extracts from press reports and documents at this time. Decide:

• What were some of the issues for people?
• Who wanted to keep things as they were?
• Who wanted to make it easier for citizens to buy land?
• What were some of the ways in which people showed they wanted the government to do something about this issue?

Imagine that television had been available at that time. Use the information from press reports and documents to prepare an item for the evening news or for a presentation on a current affairs program. You should illustrate the viewpoints of those wanting change and those opposing change. Explain how people went about their campaign for change.

Activity 2: Is this enough?

Look at the ideas you recorded when you did the activity, 'What are the needs and challenges for landowners'.

Read the information sheet Acts relating to land use and care which lists many Acts of Parliament that help people to use and care for the land. Find acts that help to meet the needs or challenges you have identified. List each need or challenge next to the acts that help to do this.

Ask:

• Do you have any acts left over? What needs or challenges do these acts help us meet?
• Do you have any challenges left over?
• Do you think that the Government of Victoria should do something about these needs and challenges? Why?
• What could they do?
• What could you and your school or community do?

Prepare a list, chart or other visual representation to show people your ideas.

Activity 3: Are we using land for the right purposes?

Read current newspapers to find articles dealing with an issue related to the way people and/or governments use and/or care for the land today in cities and in rural and regional areas.

Decide:

• What are the issues being presented here?
• Is any one issue more important than the others?
• If so, why? If not, why not?

Select one of these issues and suggest things people should do to help resolve these issues. You could also select an issue or need you identified in Activity 2. Decide which of these solutions are the responsibility of:

• landowners
• the Government of Victoria
• the local council
• other people
• you.

Develop a strategy plan to resolve the issue and present your ideas to the appropriate authority or organisation (for example: your local council, Victorian Farmers' Federation, the Government of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Department of Planning, Department of Primary Industries, Land Use Planning - Department of Infrastructure, local newspaper, etc).

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

• Activity sheet: Exhibition activities
• Press reports and documents on access to land ownership
• Information sheet: Acts relating to land use and care