Modern History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Prices and Incomes Accord

Active learning works for this topic because the Accord was fundamentally a negotiation between real stakeholders. Students grasp its complexity by participating in simulations, collaborative analysis, and debates that mirror the historical bargaining process, making abstract economic concepts tangible and memorable.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HI12K51
• AC9HI12K52

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Accord Negotiations

Assign students roles as ACTU leaders, employer reps, or government officials. Provide historical briefs for preparation, then hold 20-minute negotiations to draft a mock accord. Conclude with a whole-class debrief comparing to the real Accord.

Analyze how the Prices and Incomes Accord aimed to manage inflation and industrial disputes.

Facilitation Tip

For the Role-Play, assign students clear roles with specific objectives to ensure they stay grounded in historical constraints and interests.

What to look for

Pose this question to the class: 'Imagine you are a union delegate in 1984. Would you vote to accept the terms of the Accord? Justify your decision by referencing at least two specific benefits and two potential drawbacks for your members.' Facilitate a debate based on student responses.

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

Activity 02

• Jigsaw
• 45 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Accord Phases

Divide class into expert groups, each studying one Accord phase (I-IV) using provided sources. Experts then mix to teach home groups key changes and impacts. Groups summarize findings on shared charts.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the Accord in achieving its economic and social goals.

Facilitation Tip

In the Jigsaw, create mixed groups that include one student from each phase to prevent siloed knowledge and encourage peer teaching.

What to look for

Provide students with a short data set showing inflation rates and strike frequency from 1980-1990. Ask them to write two sentences explaining the trend in industrial disputes and one sentence explaining how the Accord might have influenced this trend.

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

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Accord's Legacy

Split class into affirm/negate teams on 'The Accord achieved its goals.' Teams prepare with data on inflation, wages, and disputes. Hold structured debate with rebuttals and class vote.

Compare the Accord's approach to industrial relations with previous and subsequent models.

Facilitation Tip

During the Debate, provide a one-page briefing sheet with key statistics and arguments to level the playing field for all students.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to define 'real wages' in their own words and then list one way the Prices and Incomes Accord aimed to increase or protect them.

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

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 35 min · Small Groups

Source Carousel: Impacts

Set up stations with cartoons, speeches, and stats on economic/social effects. Small groups rotate, analyze one source per station, and note evidence for/against effectiveness. Regroup to share insights.

Analyze how the Prices and Incomes Accord aimed to manage inflation and industrial disputes.

Facilitation Tip

Set a strict 3-minute timer for the Source Carousel rotations to maintain energy and focus on focused source analysis.

What to look for

Pose this question to the class: 'Imagine you are a union delegate in 1984. Would you vote to accept the terms of the Accord? Justify your decision by referencing at least two specific benefits and two potential drawbacks for your members.' Facilitate a debate based on student responses.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by anchoring lessons in primary sources and economic data from the 1980s, avoiding oversimplified narratives about the Accord’s success or failure. They emphasize the iterative nature of policy-making by tracking the Accord’s phases through real-world evidence, which helps students see how economic policies evolve over time. Avoid presenting the Accord as a static agreement; instead, highlight the compromises, tensions, and unintended consequences that emerged as conditions changed.

Students will demonstrate understanding by explaining how the Accord stabilized the economy while balancing competing interests. They should analyze trade-offs between wages, social benefits, and inflation, and articulate how this policy reshaped industrial relations through evidence-based arguments rather than rote memorization.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Accord Negotiations, watch for students assuming the Accord was imposed by the government.

  Use the role-play’s predetermined negotiation scripts that require ACTU delegates to propose counteroffers and Hawke’s team to respond with concessions, forcing students to experience the give-and-take that made the Accord a cooperative effort.

• During Jigsaw: Accord Phases, watch for students claiming the Accord permanently solved inflation and strikes.

  Have groups present their phase’s data on a shared timeline, then facilitate a class discussion where students identify fluctuations and persistent issues, using the visual evidence to correct oversimplification.

• During Debate: Accord's Legacy, watch for students asserting the Accord only benefited employers by suppressing wages.

  Require debaters to cite specific 'social wage' gains from their source packets, such as Medicare or superannuation, during rebuttals to redirect the narrative toward balanced outcomes.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Jigsaw
• Formal Debate