The Role of Political Parties and Interest Groups

Active learning helps students grasp how political parties and interest groups shape policy beyond textbooks. By role-playing debates or analyzing real campaigns, students see how power is shared and contested in democracy.

• Year 6
• HASS
• 4 activities
• 30 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the primary function of political parties in organizing election campaigns and forming government.
2. Compare the stated goals and typical methods of two distinct Australian interest groups.
3. Analyze how interest groups can influence government policy through lobbying and public advocacy.
4. Evaluate the potential positive and negative impacts of interest group activity on democratic decision-making.

Formal Debate

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Party Policy Debate

Divide class into three groups representing Labor, Liberal, and Greens parties. Each group prepares a 2-minute pitch on a policy issue like climate action, then debates in a mock parliament. Vote as a class to form government.

Prepare & details

Explain the primary function of political parties in a democratic election.

Facilitation Tip: During the Party Policy Debate, assign clear roles so students experience how party platforms are negotiated and compromised.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Gallery Walk

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Interest Group Campaigns

Display posters of real Australian interest group campaigns (e.g., GetUp!, unions). Students rotate in pairs, noting goals, methods, and impacts, then discuss in whole class how groups challenge government.

Prepare & details

Compare the goals and methods of two different interest groups in Australia.

Facilitation Tip: For the Gallery Walk, provide a mix of large and small interest groups so students notice differences in campaign power and reach.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Jigsaw

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Party Functions

Assign expert roles on party roles (e.g., candidate selection, policy making). Experts teach their home group, then mixed groups answer key questions on elections and representation.

Prepare & details

Assess how interest groups can both support and challenge government decisions.

Facilitation Tip: In the Jigsaw activity, give each group a specific party function to research so all contributions are necessary for the final understanding.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Formal Debate

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

Influence Mapping: Group Goals

In pairs, students research two interest groups, map their goals and methods on a Venn diagram, then present comparisons to class.

Prepare & details

Explain the primary function of political parties in a democratic election.

Facilitation Tip: During Influence Mapping, ask students to justify their connections between goals and influence tactics with concrete examples.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Use role-play and mapping to make abstract concepts visible and interactive. Research shows students retain political processes better when they act them out rather than read about them. Avoid long lectures; instead, build in frequent opportunities for students to apply ideas immediately in structured tasks.

What to Expect

Students will explain the distinct roles of parties and interest groups, identify their methods of influence, and critique their effectiveness. They will use evidence from activities to support their reasoning about political processes.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Role-Play: Party Policy Debate, watch for students assuming parties control everything without negotiation.

What to Teach Instead

Use the debate structure to redirect students by requiring amendments and compromises, showing how parties must negotiate with each other and sometimes with interest groups to pass policies.

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk: Interest Group Campaigns, watch for students believing all groups have equal power.

What to Teach Instead

Guide students to compare the size and visibility of campaigns, noting how large groups often partner with media or political allies, while small groups rely on grassroots efforts.

Common Misconception

During the Jigsaw: Party Functions, watch for students thinking parties are internally united on every issue.

What to Teach Instead

Ask students to include factional debates in their presentations, using party policy documents that show internal disagreements to illustrate this dynamic.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Gallery Walk: Interest Group Campaigns, ask students to share their group's main goal and two specific actions they would take to advocate for more green spaces in their local area, then facilitate a class discussion to assess their understanding of interest group tactics.

Quick Check

During the Role-Play: Party Policy Debate, provide students with a short news article about a recent government decision and ask them to identify which political party or parties are in government and whether an interest group supported or opposed the decision, assessing their ability to connect current events to the roles of parties and interest groups.

Exit Ticket

After the Jigsaw: Party Functions, ask students to write on an index card: 'One key difference between a political party and an interest group' and 'One example of how an interest group might try to influence the government', then collect these to assess their grasp of core concepts before moving on.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to design a campaign for a new interest group that combines tactics from both large and small groups, justifying their strategy with evidence from the Gallery Walk.
• For students who struggle, provide a partially completed Influence Map with key terms and connections to scaffold their analysis of group goals.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research a historical case where an interest group successfully influenced policy and present their findings to the class, connecting it to the campaign tactics observed in the Gallery Walk.

Key Vocabulary

Political Party	An organized group of people who share similar political aims and opinions, and seek to influence public policy by getting their candidates elected to public office.
Interest Group	A group of people who share a common interest or concern and seek to influence government policy without necessarily seeking to win elections themselves.
Lobbying	The act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in a government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.
Policy Platform	A set of principles and goals that a political party supports and hopes to enact if elected to power.
Advocacy	Public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy, often undertaken by interest groups.