Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
DESIGNING OUR POLITICAL AND LEGAL SYSTEM
YEAR 7 STUDENT POST-VISIT RESOURCE
1. RULE OF LAW
Read each of the following statements and circle True or False.
a)
Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.
True / False
b)
An accused person is thought to be guilty until proven innocent.
True / False
c)
People accused of serious crimes do not have access to lawyers in WA.
True / False
d)
The rule of law creates responsibilities for both the government and citizens in WA.
True / False
2. COURT HIERARCHY
The criminal and civil courts in the Western Australian system are named the:
 Supreme Court;
 District Court; and
 Magistrates Court.
The High Court can review decisions made by all the State Courts.
a)
Complete the chart below showing the names of the other two courts in the Western
Australian court hierarchy (levels).
DISTRICT COURT
3. THE THREE ARMS OF GOVERNMENT AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
The three arms of government are the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Each of
the three arms of government has a special role to play in our justice system.
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Law Society of Western Australia
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Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
a)
Complete the gaps in the sentences below.
The Legislature: makes ___________. The politicians elected to the WA parliament and the
Federal parliament, in both houses, are the Legislature, i.e. the State Legislature and the
Federal Legislature.
The Executive: administers the ______________ made by the Legislature. The Governor,
Premier and the State Ministers are the State Executive. The Governor General, Prime
Minister and the Federal Ministers are the Federal Executive
The Judiciary: interprets and applies the ____________. The Justices in the Supreme Court
of Western Australia are the WA judiciary. The Justices in the High Court are the Federal
Judiciary.
4. DISCUSSION TASK
a)
Why do we have three separate arms of government?
______________________________________________________________________
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5. DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAW
a)
Match the different types of law to the descriptions in the table.
criminal law, statute law, civil law, common law
Type of Law
Description
Law which is created by judge’s decisions. Those decisions set
precedents which all the lower courts must follow. This type of law is
only created when
there is a gap in the existing legislation.
Law which is created by Parliament through legislation.
Law which aims to stop anti-social behaviour and danger in our
community.
Law which focuses on formal disagreements between two or more
people in our community.
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Law Society of Western Australia
January 2016
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Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
6. GENERAL QUESTIONS
a)
Who do you think has the hardest job in a court room? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
b)
Which job would you like to have if you worked in a court room? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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7. COURT PERSONNEL CHALLENGE (Optional activity)
INSTRUCTIONS
The Court Personnel Challenge is a card game.
The job titles of the court personnel are on separate cards.
Place the cards face down on the desk.
Each person chooses a card and must try to describe the duties of the court personnel on
the card.
The challenge for the other students is to guess which of the court personnel you are
describing.
If the other students can guess which of the court personnel you are describing you keep the
card. Then another student has his/her turn.
If the other students cannot guess which of the court personnel you are describing you put
the card back. Then another student has his/her turn.
Keep going until you have been able to describe the duties of all of the court personnel on
the cards.
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Law Society of Western Australia
January 2016
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Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
Judge’s Associate
Jury
Orderly
Judge
Witness
State Counsel
Accused
Defence Counsel
Jury Foreperson
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Law Society of Western Australia
January 2016
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Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
8. POINTS TO REVIEW AFTER YOUR VISIT TO THE FBLEP
Review the points below and your previous answers with a partner or in a small group and
then discuss them with your class.
Instructions:
Read each of the following statements and circle True or False.
a)
The accused person must prove to the court that s/he is not guilty of the crime.
True / False
b)
The judge decides if an accused person is guilty or not guilty for serious charges.
True / False
c)
An accused person is thought to be innocent until proven guilty.
d)
Jury duty is a responsibility of everyone who can vote in WA except in special
situations and except for people in special types of jobs.
True / False
e)
You have the right to trial by jury if you are accused of a serious crime in WA.
True / False
f)
Everyone must swear an oath on the Bible when giving evidence in WA courts.
True / False
g)
The law for the Queen and Prime Minster is different to the law for everyone else.
True / False
h)
The British colonists lived under customary Aboriginal lore (law) in the early days of the
colony.
True / False
i)
The government can remove a judge from his/her position at anytime.
i)
The Australian Constitution describes what laws and courts for which the Federal
Government is responsible and what laws and courts for which the State Governments
are responsible.
True / False
True / False
True / False
9. MULTIMODAL PRESENTATION (see Appendix 1 for sample student task sheet)
Create a multimodal presentation on one the following topics and present it to the class:
Topic One: Western Australia should secede (separate) from the federation of Australia.
(i) Include details on the history of WA joining the federation as well as the arguments
against WA joining at that time;
(ii) Include details on why WA should secede in 2015; and
(iii) Discuss any contemporary sources which show support for WA seceding.
Topic Two: Discuss the essential legal principles of the Western Australian justice system:
presumption of innocence, burden of proof and standard of proof. Include the following
(i) What each principle means;
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Law Society of Western Australia
January 2016
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Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
(ii) The positives and/or negatives of these principles;
(iii) Where the principles originate; and
(iv) Discuss any contemporary sources which question any of these legal principles in the
WA justice system.
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Law Society of Western Australia
January 2016
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Francis Burt Law
Education Programme
APPENDIX 1
Designing our Political and Legal System
Year 7 Multimodal Presentation
TASK
Create a multimodal presentation on ONE of the following topics and present it to the class:
Topic One: Western Australia should secede (separate) from the federation of Australia.
.
OR
Topic 2: Discuss the essential legal principles of the Western Australian justice system:
presumption of innocence, burden of proof and standard of proof.
CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT
a) Ideas to think about:
Topic One
 What is the history of Western Australia joining the federation?
 What were the arguments against Western Australia joining at that time?
 Why do you think WA should or should not secede today?
 Are there any current discussions which show support for Western Australia seceding
(For example, newspaper reports, talks within parliament or the judiciary)?
OR
Topic Two
 What does each principle mean?
 Are there any positives or negatives about these principles?
 From where did the principles originate?
 Are there any current discussions that question any of these legal principles in the
Western Australian justice system (For example, newspaper reports, talks within
parliament or the judiciary)?
b) Make sure you reference from where you obtained your information at the end of the
presentation
c) Creativity: add any other details which you think are appropriate
d) As your presentation is in digital format, aim to present to the class for 3-5 minutes
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