Judy
Adnum, Curriculum Advisor Civics and Citizenship, Professional Support
and Curriculum Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training
Annie Stevens, Project Officer NSW Constitution Website, Professional
Support and Curriculum Directorate, NSW Department of Education
and Training
Louise Ferguson, Technical Support, Professional Support and Curriculum
Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training
CONTRIBUTORS
Professor
Marie Roslyn Bashir AO, Governor of NSW Lady Shehadie
Peter Been, MLC
Bob Carr, Premier of NSW
Lenore Coltheart, Designer www.foundingdocs.gov.au
Robert Lawrie, Archivist State Parliament House, USW
Lurline Campbell, News Ltd. Librarian
Megan Gallagher, Judicial Commission
Chris Dorbis, Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate, NSW
Department of Education and Training
Robert Griffith, Curator Government House
Shane Hughes,
Solicitor
Peter Lewis, Cartoonist Newcastle Herald
Eric Loebecke, Cartoonist Daily Telegraph
Dr. Andrew Moore, Associate Professor, UWS Macarthur Campus.
[Dr.] Andrew Morrison QC, Barrister
Officers of the NSW Attorney General's Department
Hon. Justice Pearlman AM, Chief Judge of the Land and Environment
Court
Hon. Gordon J. Samuels,
former Governor of NSW
Hon. James Spigelman AC, Chief Justice of New South Wales
Graham Spindler, Manager Education Programs, NSW Parliament
Professor Kevin Sproats, Office of Regional Development
Hon.Sir Laurence Street, KCMG AC QC, Professional mediator, former
Chief Justice of New South Wales
Cynthia Watts, News Ltd. Photo librarian
Professor George Winterton, UNSW Faculty of Law
George Williams, Anthony Mason Professor, Director Gilbert &
Tobin Centre Public Law, UNSW Faculty of Law
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 states 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.
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