Unit 2 – Area of Study 3: Rights

Outcome 3

Evaluate the ways in which rights are protected in Australia, compare this approach with that adopted by another country and discuss the impact of an Australian case on the rights of individuals and the legal system.​

Examples of learning activities

• Students are to discuss the effectiveness in protecting the democratic and human rights of Australian citizens.
  Refer to Appendix 16 - Poster on the protection of rights in Australia (docx - 69.49kb)​.
• Compile a glossary of key terms associated with Human Rights (A to Z). List all the rights and freedoms from A to Z to which Australians are entitled.
• ​Investigate the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities​. Address the twenty fundamental human rights, how the Charter works, the benefits of having this charter and how breaches of human rights can be addressed.
• Compile a folio of materials illustrating the activities of the United Nations. Information may come from any media source, use this information to prepare a visual report incorporating:​​
  • an outline of the issues dealt with by the United Nations
  • a map depicting places in the world where the United Nations is active
  • an overview of the role of the United Nations in protecting human rights.
• Prepare a series of cue cards about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There are 30 rights in this declaration. Allocate each student one article from the Declaration. Each is tasked with explaining what the article they have been allocated is saying in their own words. Each student is to then provide examples that demonstrate how this particular article is protected in Australia.
• 
  Conduct a class debate about the protection of rights in Australia.
  
• Compare the approach adopted in Australia to establish and protect human rights with that of one other country. Select a country such as USA, UK, South Africa, Canada, NZ or Indonesia. When conducting the comparison, identify and explain how rights are protected, implied, entrenched, changed and enforced in each country. Then highlight both differences and similarities.
  Refer to Appendix 17 - Comparison exercise (docx - 65.18kb).
• Research and create a poster on a case that has had an impact on the protection of rights in Australia. Include the following:
  • the role of the individual in taking a case to court
  • the facts and issues central to the case, including the rights in question
  • the laws that applied to the case
  • the outcome of the case and its impact on the rights of individuals and the legal system
  • possible conflicting attitudes in relation to the case.
  Refer to Appendix 18 - Rights in Australia (docx - 67.75kb)

Detailed example

The protection of rights in Australia

Select an Australian case concerning the rights of individuals and the legal system for use as evidence for the debate.

Students examine the case and prepare responses to the following:

• the role of the individual in taking a case to court
• the facts and issues central to the case, including the rights in question
• the laws that applied to the case
• the outcome of the case and its impact on the rights of individuals and the legal system
• possible conflicting attitudes in relation to the case.

Conduct a class debate on one of the following topics:

• ‘A bill of rights is long overdue in Australia’
• ‘Human rights are best protected through a stipulated list of rights in the Constitution’
• ‘Native title is one step forward in the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’
• ‘It is time a treaty is developed between the Australian government and the first inhabitants of Australia’.

Use the results of the research to develop arguments on the topic selected.

Consider:

• How does Australia protect human rights?
• Are human rights adequately protected in Australia?
• What impact did each of the cases researched have on the protection of human rights in Australia?