December 4, 2023
“Don’t vote, it only encourages them,” a wit once proclaimed.
“It doesn’t matter who you vote for, a politician still gets in,” said another.
“If elections changed anything, they wouldn’t be allowed,” said a more cynical observer.
Teachers of politics often encounter this attitude of indifference or disregard towards the political system. The challenge for teachers and students is to alert those around them to the everyday relevance of political activity.
Politics is nothing if not a topical subject.
The newspapers, electronic current affairs and internet sites remain an important means of reinforcing knowledge of key political ideas and keeping up-to-date with current events.
This page looks at how an edition of the Australian Financial Review can be of use to students and teachers of Politics. The selection of articles and commentary can be applied to any newspaper on any day.
There were no surprises in the questions asked on today’s Year 12 Political Studies exam paper. A very fair and balanced paper was sat by approximately 1500 students across Victoria.
The paper dealt with a range of topical political issues, including the role of the High Court, federal powers, Senate reform, prime ministerial power, fairness in the electoral system, disillusionment with the major parties, the impact of minor parties, and the contribution of pressure groups to policy-making.
The exam is worth 40% of the total marks for students.
Victorian Certificate of Education Political Studies students are preparing (we hope!) to sit the 2-hour examination at noon tomorrow.
All students are required to complete short answer questions in 4 of the 6 topics. They should devote 1 hour to this section. They must answer 2 sets of questions from:
They must also answer 2 sets of questions from: