The Role of the Public in Law-Making

Active learning works because students need to experience the real-world impact of public involvement in law-making. When they role-play committee hearings or draft petitions, they see how their actions connect to political decision-making. This hands-on approach builds both civic knowledge and critical engagement with democratic processes.

• Year 7
• Civics & Citizenship
• 4 activities
• 30 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze at least three distinct methods citizens use to influence Australian legislation beyond voting.
2. Evaluate the impact of a specific petition or public submission on a past piece of Australian legislation.
3. Design a persuasive advocacy strategy for a hypothetical community group seeking a new local law.
4. Compare the potential effectiveness of different public participation methods in influencing law-making.

Town Hall Meeting

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing

Divide class into stakeholder groups who prepare 2-minute submissions on a sample bill, such as a plastic bag ban. A central 'committee' group questions presenters and votes on amendments. Debrief on what swayed decisions.

Prepare & details

Analyze various avenues for public input into the law-making process.

Facilitation Tip: For the Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing, assign roles with clear stakes—some students should represent opposing views to push the presenting group to strengthen their arguments.

Setup: Chairs in rows facing a front table for officials, podium for speakers

Materials: Stakeholder role cards, Issue briefing document, Speaking request cards, Voting ballot

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Town Hall Meeting

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Petition Drafting Challenge

Present a community issue like school uniform changes. Pairs draft a petition with clear demands and justifications, then pitch to the class for 'signatures' via quick votes. Discuss formatting and success factors.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the effectiveness of petitions and public submissions in influencing legislation.

Facilitation Tip: During the Petition Drafting Challenge, provide examples of real petitions that succeeded or failed so students analyze what makes a petition persuasive.

Setup: Chairs in rows facing a front table for officials, podium for speakers

Materials: Stakeholder role cards, Issue briefing document, Speaking request cards, Voting ballot

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Town Hall Meeting

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Advocacy Campaign Design

Small groups select a real issue, like youth mental health funding. Brainstorm strategies including submissions, MP letters, and social media. Create posters outlining steps and present to class for feedback.

Prepare & details

Design a strategy for a community group to advocate for a new law.

Facilitation Tip: In the Advocacy Campaign Design, require groups to include a timeline with milestones to help them think strategically about influence over time.

Setup: Chairs in rows facing a front table for officials, podium for speakers

Materials: Stakeholder role cards, Issue briefing document, Speaking request cards, Voting ballot

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Town Hall Meeting

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Effectiveness Debate Stations

Set up stations with case studies of successful petitions. Groups rotate, note evidence of impact, then debate whole class: 'Do public inputs truly change laws?' Vote and reflect.

Prepare & details

Analyze various avenues for public input into the law-making process.

Facilitation Tip: At Debate Stations, rotate groups so they encounter different arguments and must adapt their responses rather than repeat the same points.

Setup: Chairs in rows facing a front table for officials, podium for speakers

Materials: Stakeholder role cards, Issue briefing document, Speaking request cards, Voting ballot

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers know students grasp civic processes best when they move from abstract concepts to concrete actions. Start with clear examples of public influence, then design activities where students must use evidence to support their positions. Avoid lectures about process without application—students need to see how a 50-signature petition or one well-timed submission can shape outcomes.

What to Expect

Students will demonstrate understanding by explaining at least two formal ways citizens influence laws and justifying their choices with evidence from simulated activities. They should use key terms like petition, submission, and advocacy confidently in discussions and written work.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing, watch for students assuming submissions are ignored because politicians make final decisions.

What to Teach Instead

Use the hearing structure to show how committee members ask follow-up questions based on submissions, demonstrating that public input directly shapes discussions.

Common Misconception

During Petition Drafting Challenge, watch for students believing petitions require massive signatories to matter.

What to Teach Instead

Have groups present their petitions to a mock committee and observe how even targeted arguments prompt discussion, not just signature counts.

Common Misconception

During Effectiveness Debate Stations, watch for students dismissing public submissions as ceremonial steps with no real impact.

What to Teach Instead

Provide excerpts from bills amended due to submissions and ask students to match changes to the public arguments that prompted them.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Role-Play: Committee Submission Hearing, ask students to write one sentence explaining how the public’s submission changed the committee’s discussion, using evidence from their role-play notes.

Quick Check

During Petition Drafting Challenge, collect draft petitions and assess whether groups included a clear call to action and a rationale that connects to law-making, not just complaints.

Discussion Prompt

After Advocacy Campaign Design, facilitate a class discussion where students evaluate which campaign elements (petition, media, meetings) would be most effective for their issue, referencing their group’s proposal.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research a recent Australian petition that succeeded and analyze its argument structure, then present findings to the class.
• Scaffolding for struggling students by providing sentence starters like "Our petition will ask for... because..." to focus their drafting.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a local councilor or MP to speak about how they respond to public input, then have students prepare questions in advance using their activity work as context.

Key Vocabulary

Petition	A formal written request, signed by many people, appealing to an authority, such as Parliament, for a particular cause or action.
Public Submission	Written or oral feedback provided by individuals or groups to a parliamentary committee when they are reviewing a proposed law (bill).
Lobbying	The act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in a government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.
Bill	A proposed law that has been introduced into Parliament and is under consideration for passage.
Advocacy	The act of publicly supporting or recommending a particular cause or policy, often through organized efforts.