Story of Our Rights and Freedoms - Constitutional Referendum in Action

This Finding Out lesson follows on from Story of Our Rights and Freedoms – Changing the Australian Constitution – Year 7 Civics. In a role play activity, students will gain a deeper understanding of the process of a constitutional referendum. They will learn about making changes to the Australian Constitution: from when a concern is raised by a citizen; to when a change to the Constitution is considered by both levels of federal parliament; to when the change is voted on in a referendum of Australian citizens. Students will work in groups to consider ‘yes’ and ‘no’ arguments for change to the Constitution, and then reflect on the connection between the process for constitutional change and human rights.

Essential questions:

• How are changes to the Australian Constitution made?
• Why would changes to the Australian Constitution be made?
• What is the connection between changes to the Australian Constitution and access to human rights for all people living in Australia?