Year 10 HASS – Term 3 (WA Curriculum): Democracy, Economics and Global Citizenship

What this unit covers

In Term 3, Year 10 HASS in the WA Curriculum centres on the unit “Democracy, Economics and Global Citizenship”.

Students explore Australia's democratic system, economic performance, and global responsibilities while developing critical thinking skills to analyse contemporary challenges facing democracy and society.

Lesson sequence (30 lessons)

The unit breaks down into the following lesson-by-lesson sequence — each title below is a teachable lesson, in order:

1. Comparing Australia's Democracy with Asian Government Systems
2. Understanding Democratic Elections and Voter Participation
3. Exploring Separation of Powers in Australian Government
4. Analysing Representative and Responsible Government Principles
5. Investigating Threats to Modern Democracy
6. Examining the Influence of Vested Interests on Government
7. Understanding Organised Crime's Impact on Democracy
8. Analysing Corruption and Lawlessness in Democratic Systems
9. Evaluating Misinformation and Disinformation in Media
10. Investigating the Rise of Populism in Australia
11. Examining Identity Politics in Western Democracies
12. Understanding Democratic Safeguards and Shared Values
13. Exploring the Right to Dissent in Democratic Society
14. Analysing the Role of Free Media in Democracy
15. Investigating Anti-Discrimination Laws as Democratic Protection
16. Understanding the High Court's Role in Government
17. Analysing Constitutional Interpretation by the High Court
18. Examining Brown v Tasmania World Heritage Case
19. Investigating Mabo v Queensland Native Title Decision
20. Analysing Recent High Court Appeals and Decisions
21. Exploring Australia's Global Roles and Responsibilities
22. Investigating Australia's Foreign Aid Programs
23. Understanding Australia's Peacekeeping Contributions
24. Examining Australia's Role in International Organisations
25. Analysing Australia's Response to UN Indigenous Rights Declaration
26. Investigating Australia's International Legal Obligations
27. Understanding Economic Performance and Living Standards
28. Analysing Income and Wealth Distribution in Australia
29. Examining Government Economic Influence and Policy
30. Evaluating Business Responses to Economic Change

Curriculum codes in this unit

Skills codes:

Reading the codes: WA codes (the ones starting with WA) pack the year level, learning area, strand and content number into one string, while the national Australian Curriculum v9 uses a different anatomy that starts with AC9 — same content family, different labels. Our complete WA Curriculum guide decodes both, character by character.

Planning notes for Term 3

WA terms run roughly 9–11 weeks, and in 2026 Term 3 runs from Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September — 10 weeks for WA public schools. With 30 lessons in this unit, that leaves breathing room for assessment, moderation and the weeks that disappear to carnivals, camps and public holidays — plan the assessable work to land two to three weeks before the end of term rather than in the final week.