AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTERS

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTERS Get to know our system Meet a PM Your task The Objective The Assignments Teacher’s Page Resources Meet the Creators

Your Task You have recently been appointed as the Prime Minister’s personal assistant. Trouble is the newly elected Prime Minister has no idea what they’re in for and it’s your job to bring them up to scratch! Your mission is to provide the Prime Minister with as much information as possible in four weeks on the role of Prime Minister, the role of government in Australia and the structure of Australia’s political system. HOME

The purpose of this activity is to educate students on the following: • The Roles and Responsibilities of the Prime Minister • The function of government • The duties of government • Names of Australia’s previous Prime Ministers • The structure of Australia’s political system • An understanding of the importance of parliament HOME

Meet some of Australia’s influential Prime Ministers over the course of history and our current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Click on a Picture to learn more HOME

Edmund Barton • Born in 1849, Glebe Sydney • Had a very extensive career in politics • Was the Speaker of the Legislative • Assembly • In 1901 upon the opening of Parliament he became Australia’s first Prime Minister • In 1903 he resigns as Prime Minister to take up a position as High Court Judge • Dies in 1920 at the age of 71 of heart failure Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

Robert (Bob) Menzies • Born on the 20th December 1894 in Victoria • Was Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister • He served 18 years in the Office of Prime Minister • His first stint as Prime Minister was 1939-1941 • He then went on to serve from 1949-1966 • Was the founder of the Liberal Party in Australia • Was a firm believer in Conscription • Was referred to as a “War Time Prime Minister” as he was in office during the outbreak of WWII Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

John Curtin • Born on 8th January 1885 in Victoria • Was the first Prime Minister to die in office • Was the Member for Fremantle, winning the seat in 1928 • Was a “War Time Prime Minister” • He stood for parliament several times before he was elected to the seat of Fremantle • Curtin University and John Curtin College of the Arts are named after him • He was anti-conscription and briefly served in prison for refusing a medical exam for enlistment • Was a member of the Australian Labor Party Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

Gough Whitlam • Was born in Victoria on the 11th July 1916 • Became Prime Minister on the 5th December 1972 • Was dismissed by the Governor-General on the 11th of November 1975 • Implemented the Medicare System, still in existence today • The Whitlams is a band named after him • Provided citizens living in Northern Territory and ACT Senate representation Click here for Whitlam’s Dismissal Speech Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

Paul Keating • Born 18th January 1944 • Became Prime Minister in 1991 after winning a leadership contest with Bob Hawke • Was Treasurer prior to becoming Prime Minister • December 10 1992 Keating delivered the Redfern speech- one of the first political speeches on Aboriginal Reconciliation • Was Treasurer and Prime Minister during the recession • Is a Republican believing the need for Australia to become a Republic Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

John Howard • Born 26th July 1939 • Is the Second Longest Serving Prime Minister (second to Robert Menzies) • Was Prime Minister for 12 years • Was elected Prime Minister in 1996 after defeating Paul Keating • Was Treasurer from 1977-1983 • Was defeated by Kevin Rudd in the 2007 election as Prime Minister • Lost his seat in the 2007 election to Labor’s Maxine McKew • He is only the second Prime Minister to lose his seat in a Federal Election Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

Kevin Rudd • Born in Queensland on 21st September 1957 • Was sworn in as Prime Minister on 3rd December 2007 • Became the first Prime Minister to offer an apology to the Stolen Generations • Speaks Mandarin and prior to entering politics was a diplomat Courtesy of Parliamentary Education Office- www.peo.gov.au/students BACK

Welcome to Questions and Answers. In this section you are required to read the information provided and answer the questions at the end. Hint – some of the answers can be found on the Meet a PM page. Click on a button to find out more about the PM: Powers of the PM Restrictions of the PM Roles of the PM TEST HOW MUCH YOU KNOW HOME

RESOURCES Some resources to get you started on your quest… www.peo.gov.au www.aph.gov.au www.australianpolitics.com www.pm.gov.au www.ccentre.wa.gov.au HOME

Meet the Creators Meet Heikal Heikal is currently studying at the University of Notre Dame. He is currently completing a Diploma in Education Majoring in Society and Environment. Meet Nick Nick is also studying at Notre Dame for a Diploma in Education. Prior to studying at Notre Dame, Nick was a Finance Officer for several government departments. Meet Liz Liz is studying at Notre Dame. She has a keen interest in politics having majored in Politics and History at Uni. She also likes ice cream HOME

THE ASSIGNMENTS WEEK ONE WEEK THREE WEEK TWO WEEK FOUR HOME

TEACHER’S PAGE LESSON PLANS OVERARCHING OUTCOMES VALUES RUBRIC QUIZ ANSWERS TEACHER RESOURCES HOME

Week One Assignment • You have been given the task by the newly elected Prime Minister to construct a poster advertising the roles and responsibilities of the government. • In your poster you will need to include the following: • Names of the two houses of parliament and the name of the house where government is formed • Key roles of the government (introducing laws etc) • Details of the current government (Ministers, Names of Leaders etc) • You can produce this poster in a number of different ways, a few can include: • Microsoft Publisher • In design • Photostory • *Your poster must be computer based* BACK

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Week Two Assignment As the personal assistant to the Prime Minister, Channel Nine has asked you to present a speech on the duties, roles and responsibilities of the Prime Minister. In this speech you have to outline what the Prime Minister does, what the duties and responsibilities of the Prime Minister are and what a normal day looks like for the PM. You are to present this in video format so it can be uploaded onto the class Wiki page. You can present in either an interview, panel discussion or public address, as long as it is on film! BACK

Week Three Assignment • The Prime Minister is making an important visit to a High School to talk to the students about Australian Government. As the PM’s personal assistant, it is your responsibility to ensure that everything is prepared for his arrival. To do this you need to use a brainstorm to plan out the things you will need. In your brainstorm you should include the following: • Venue- where will it be, how will he get there • Resources- What will you both need. What will the school need • People- Who will be there, when do you send out the invites, who will introduce the Prime Minister. • You should construct your brainstorm on Inspirations, making it as interactive as possible. A free trial is available to download from this site: • http://www.inspiration.com/ BACK

Week Four Assignment • Your task is to write a biography on a former Australian Prime Minister. This biography should be no more than 5 pages and should include photos of the particular Prime Minister. You should also include the following: • Date of Birth • Place of Birth • Significant dates relating to this person • Influences and Role Models of this PM • The political party they are from • Significant impacts they may have had on society- for an example did they introduce conscription? Medicare? etc. • Refer to the resources page to get a few starters for your research. BACK

The Australian Prime Minister is the head of the Australian Government. He or she is the leader of the executive government. The leader of the political party that win an election becomes the prime minister, and it is this party that controls the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is where the Federal government makes legislation. The Constitution of Australia does not mention the position of the Prime Minister. It is a position that exists as a parliamentary convention. A convention is an unwritten rule of accepted practice. For example, section 64 states that the Governor-General may appoint officers to administer such departments of State of the Commonwealth as the Governor-General in Council may establish. In reality, it is the Prime Minister who appoints ministers and advises the Governor General of those appointments. BACK

Restrictions on the Prime Minister. • The PM party holds a majority in the House of Representatives, from which legislation in enacted. The Senate exists as a house of review. It is usually controlled by the opposition and independents to keep a check on the Government. For this reason the PM may not be able to pass all the laws the he may want. • The PM must maintain the confidence of his or her party. Failure to do so can lead to leadership challenges, resulting in the Prime Minister losing his position. This occurred to Bob Hawke in 1991 when he lost the Prime Ministership to Paul Keating. • Government legislation may be challenged in the High Court. The 7 High Court Judges make a ruling on whether the law abides by the constitution and other laws. • The constitution separates responsibilities between the Federal Government and the States. Sometimes these powers overlap, which means the Prime Minister made need the support of the states to make legislation work. • The Governor General has reserve rights to sack the Prime Minister. This has only happened once during the Whitlam Government 1975. BACK

PRIME MINISTER QUIZ Click on the button below that says “Let’s get started” and answer the questions on the document attached to this WebQuest. Once completed, print off a sheet and with a partner mark the questions to see if you got the answers right. The answers can be found on the Teacher’s Page. You can find the information on the various pages throughout the WebQuest, these include the Meet a Prime Minister section and on the various websites included in the resource section. Good luck!! LET’S GET STARTED BACK

QUIZ ANSWERS • 1 House of Representatives • 2 Governor General • 3 A convention is an unwritten rule of accepted practice. • 4 The Governor General acts on advice from the PM. • The PM appoints ministers • The PM is the leader of the party that controls the House of Representatives. • 5. Appoint ministers • Appoint the Governor General • 6. Senate, High Court, the PM own party. • 7. Sir Edmond Barton • 8. Sir Robert Menzies • 9. John Curtin • 10. Whitlam dismissal. This seeing Prime Minister Gough Whitlam dismissed from parliament. He was sacked by the Governor-General from the Office of Prime Minister BACK

Roles of the Prime Minister • Appoint ministerial positions. A Liberal PM can choose anyone person from his party. Labor party ministers are chosen by a Caucus. • The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet Meeting and determines the cabinet agenda, ie what will be discussed. • The Prime Minister is the public face of the Government domestically and the leader of the country internationally. • The Prime Minister has the authority to appoint the Govern General, who is the Queens representative in Australia. • The PM also appoints High Court Judges. BACK

Overarching Outcomes The following outlines the Overarching Outcomes demonstrated in this Webquest : Students use language to understand, develop and communicate ideas and information and interact with others. Students recognise when and what information is needed, locate and obtain it from a range of sources and evaluate, use and share it with others. Students select, use and adapt technologies. Students understand their cultural, geographic and historical contexts and have the knowledge, skills and values necessary for active participation in life in Australia 10. Students participate in creative activity of their own and understand and engage with the artistic, cultural and intellectual work of others. BACK

Values The following values can be demonstrated through this WebQuest: Pursuit of knowledge and a commitment to achievement of potential. 4. Social and Civic Responsibility BACK

Teacher Resources To enhance the students understanding of the topic, we recommend the following resources: Australia’s Prime Ministers 1901-1945 (Book 1) Sarah Russell, (2000) Australia’s Prime Ministers 1945- (Book 2) Kirsty Grant (2000) The Layman’s Guide to Political and Legal Studies W Spindler (1999) www.peo.gov.au www.aph.gov.au www.pm.gov.au

AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTERS