Year 9 Election Program
It was wonderful to be able to run this activity in full for the first time since before COVID. This learning experience immerses students in some of the key aspects of Australian politics, including federation, the Constitution, separation of powers, levels of government, elections, and voting. Students were busy for three full days writing speeches, designing badges and websites, developing policies, creating badges and posters, editing promotional videos and much more. This year, students focused on learning about three key issues – university fees, job opportunities for school leavers, add reducing the impact of climate change. This all led up to an election in which the Year 6s, Year 9s and Oxley staff voted.
We were thrilled to see how our Year 9s enthusiastically threw themselves into their work. The collaboration, creativity and attention to detail were outstanding. Our students worked well in teams, living out Romans 12:10 which asks us to Be first to honour others by putting them first. The party leaders worked well to set the vision for their respective parties while also enabling and serving their classmates.
This year each Home Group was allocated a colour and encouraged to develop their own name, policies, slogan and logo.
| HG | Party Colour / Name | Slogan |
|---|---|---|
| 9.9 | Blue – The United Party | We stand for the individual to unite the nation |
| 9.10 | Green – The New Growth Party | Growing roots for a better future |
| 9.11 | Red – 4 the Future Party | Moving forward 4 the future |
| 9.12 | Yellow – Sunrise Party | Dawn of a brighter future |
Party websites:
Many students provided thoughtful and honest reflections on the program. Here is a selection:
It was fun leading my class and creating policies. I enjoyed having a team to work with. I learned so much about the Australian voting system and how it works. This way of learning has kept me more interested and makes me want to learn more. Carlos Youssef (9.11)The civics program has been such an eye-opening experience to issues that Australia currently faces. It was great to work as a team and although our class did have some challenges, we persevered and finally came together. The election has been such great and I am glad that the Year 9 cohort experienced it. Charlotte Geoghegan-Biggar (9.10)
I learned a lot about the Australian Parliament and how we vote using the preferential system. I also learned about the different levels of government. I had a great time working as a class and being able to be a little competitive with my friends from other parties. This was a fun and educational learning experience. Grace Downs (9.9)
This week we experienced the opportunity to work independently. It really tested our ability to cooperate, as well as our individual competence in time management. The competitive aspect really pushed us to try as hard as we could, the other parties offered fierce competition, delivering brilliant ideas and confident speeches. Overall this week was fantastic, filled with many fun opportunities. Henry Zhou (9.12)I loved this experience and we expanded our knowledge while also being pretty free and having a break from normal classes. I enjoyed doing the quizzes and the work we were given. I loved seeing other classes’ work as well. It was a really fun time and good way to end the term. Kaitlyn Huynh (9.9)During the three days, I learnt about new things including the levels of government, and how elections work. I enjoyed the experience, as it was fun and informative at the same time. I also enjoyed researching about universities and writing a speech about how we can make it a more affordable experience. Georgia Van Der Poel (9.12)
We were also thrilled to be visited by Mr Gaiser and 6G and Mrs Bradshaw and 6B. Our Year 6s visited the speech sessions and the morning tea and cast votes to help decide the winning party.
The winner of this year’s election was Home Group 9.12, the Sunrise Party. It was a dominant performance, with Sunrise almost achieving the 85 votes required for a win in the first round. The final two party-preferred tally saw Sunrise defeat United 94-75. Congratulations to 9.12, brilliantly led by Hayley Graham and Blake Richards. Certificates were presented to high achieving students from all parties by our Principal, Dr Peck, and Year level Coordinator, Mr Fox.
My thanks go out to the many teaching and administration staff who worked with our Year 9s throughout the program, providing support and encouragement.
Stephen White
Head of Humanities