ABOUT

This site was conceived in response to interest from the NSW Governor's Office. Civics continues to be a prominent issue in contemporary society. The site aims to provide information about the NSW Constitution for students and the general public.

The Civics component of the NSW HSIE Syllabuses K-12 state that NSW students ought to have studied something about the structure of State government including the NSW Constitution. This is an essential part of being an informed citizen, understanding how the "rules" work. In the future, students of today may be called upon to take part in a part of Constitution-making—a referendum. One way to begin this study is to look at the features of the NSW Constitution.

This website allows further exploration in 6 key areas of the NSW Constitution. By further exploring one or all of these areas, students will, through using primary sources, see for themselves how the constitution is an active part of decision making in their society. It allows students to see the history of the constitution, how it has evolved into what it is today and asks whether it is what we want - does it work effectively? Students can engage in self testing exercises at any step of the way, participate in role plays, test their understanding of key words, ask questions online or, for a classroom activity, participate in a debate, write a (exposition/recount/description) as a follow up to what they have learnt online. For the student or teacher who wants to know more, full copies of each article or transcript is available either through a link to the actual site or as an appendum to the issue being examined.

This website aims to help students understand the key point that at certain times they continue to have a say in the Constitution, and that a Constitution reflects the society which creates it. The aim is to build up an awareness of the fact that NSW had choices when the first Constitution was put into place about what the Constitution would and would not allow, and that deliberate decisions were made accordingly. Students will have the opportunity to investigate whether the process and results were good ones which are still appropriate today.