Civics and Citizenship

Watch now: To find out more about this curriculum area, watch ‘Understanding the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0, Civics and Citizenship’ on the Resources page.

Rationale and Aims

Rationale

Civics and Citizenship empowers students to value their belonging and contribution to their respective communities and beyond. It gives students a deep understanding of the world they live in now and teaches them to appreciate and respect diversity. A deep understanding of Australia’s federal system of government and the liberal democratic values that underpin it is essential in enabling students to become active and informed citizens who can participate in and sustain Australia’s democracy.

Civics and Citizenship is grounded in the core concepts of active citizenship from local to global; community, identity and diversity; democratic institutions and systems; democratic values; and legal systems.

Civics and Citizenship provides students with opportunities to investigate political, legal and civic systems, and examine the nature of citizenship, diversity and identity in contemporary society. Students develop knowledge and understanding of Australia’s democratic political culture, and our representative democracy and its key institutions, processes, people and actors. Emphasis is often placed on the federal system of government, and our democratic institutions and systems, which are derived from the Westminster system. The liberal democratic values that underpin our democracy, such as freedom, equality and the rule of law, are given prominence throughout. The curriculum examines how the people, as citizens, choose their governments and keep them accountable; how the system safeguards democracy by vesting people with civic rights and responsibilities; how legal systems are designed to maintain peace and stability and to protect people’s rights and promote justice; and how individuals and groups can influence society. Students evaluate the extent to which these institutions and systems achieve these aims.

The curriculum recognises that Australia is a secular nation with a culturally diverse, multi-faith society. The curriculum promotes inclusivity by developing students’ understanding of broader values, such as respect, civility, equity, justice and responsibility. It acknowledges the experiences and contributions of all Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and their identities within contemporary Australia. While the curriculum has a strong focus on the Australian context, students also reflect on Australia’s position in the world, and the role of citizens today, both within Australia and in an interconnected world.

Through the study of Civics and Citizenship, students develop inquiry skills, values and dispositions that encourage responsible participation in Australia’s democracy and enable them to be active and informed citizens who question, understand and contribute to the world in which they live. By investigating contemporary issues and events, students learn to value their role in a democratic, diverse and dynamic society. They are enabled to develop informed points of view and to make positive contributions to society – locally, nationally, regionally and globally. As reflective, active and informed decision-makers, students are well placed to contribute to an evolving and healthy democracy that fosters the wellbeing of Australia as a democratic nation.

Aims

Civics and Citizenship aims to ensure that students develop:

• a lifelong engagement with civic life as active and informed citizens, who develop and maintain a sense of belonging in their communities in the context of Australia as a secular, democratic nation with a dynamic, culturally diverse and multi-faith society, with a Christian heritage, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations
• an understanding of and a commitment to the core concepts of active citizenship from local to global; community, identity and diversity; democratic institutions and systems; democratic values; and legal systems
• skills including investigating contemporary civics and citizenship issues; evaluating democratic institutions and systems; participating in civic processes; and communicating
• the capabilities and dispositions to participate responsibly in the civic life of their communities and as people in an interconnected and interdependent world.