JSB263 Australia's Political System: Challenges and Opportunities
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | JSB263 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | 72cp of completed study |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $2,174 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $1,020 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,456 |
| International unit fee | $5,592 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | JSB263 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | 72cp of completed study |
| Coordinator: | Morgan Rees | morgan.rees@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Understanding the Australian political system is essential for anyone aspiring to work in or engage with the public sector and political arenas. This study provides insights into the structure and functioning of key political institutions, shedding light on how decisions are made and implemented. Students will explore the historical evolution of the system, gaining perspective on how past changes shape current governance. The course encourages critical analysis and discussion, enabling students to form informed opinions and critiques of the system. By examining the intricacies of Australian politics, students will be better equipped to navigate and influence the political landscape.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Evaluate the impact of structures of governance on democratic policy-making.
- Analyse policy-making challenges in the Australian political system.
- Draw on scholarly and professional literature to propose recommendations for policy changes in Australia.
- Critique the usefulness and quality of GenAI reports for communicating Australian political issues to other professionals.
- Explain the ongoing impacts of colonialism on First Nations people in the Australian Political System.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- The history of the political system in Australia - pre-contact to federation and beyond
- The Constitution and the High Court
- Parliament and Executive Government and Federalism
- Elections, voting and Political Parties
- The Public Sector- what does the public service do?
- Integrity, accountability and the Political System
- Media and the Political System
- Civil Society and the political system
- Indigenous Australia and the political system
- Social Change and the Political system
- Foreign policy- Australia in the region
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn by engaging in the following:
- lectures (live and recorded)
- tutorials (on-campus and online)
- online learning materials
- peer and group discussions
The unit adopts an interactive learning approach in which you are encouraged to discuss and critique the Australian political system.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas site.
Assessment
Overview
In this unit there are two assessments:
1. Case Study Report - This task draws on your understanding of the Australian political system and political issues to produce a case study report using GenAI in the process.
2. Exam (Written) - This task brings together the concepts and principles covered in this unit to respond to short answer and extended response questions.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Case Study Report
You will take on the role of a policy advisor to a Member of Parliament prepare a case study report on an Australian political issue. You will use GenAI to produce an initial report and critique its usefulness and quality for reports in policy and political work. Then you will improve the report through your own research before submitting a final case study report supported by scholarly and professional literature. Your submission will include the initial GenAI produced report with annotations showing your critique.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed for the purpose of generating content for this assessment task. Any generated content needs to be appropriately referenced and notes provided as to what prompts were used to generate the content.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Examination (written)
You will respond to a range of short and long answer questions on key issues in the Australian political system covered in this unit, including issues impacting First Nations people.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. Resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
Students are advised that some content in justice units may be confronting. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.JS34 Bachelor of Justice
- Apply social and criminal justice principles to explain justice issues and contexts.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO5, Case Study Report, Examination (written) - Collect and analyse evidence to inform decisions and recommendations in justice systems.
Relates to: ULO3, Case Study Report - Communicate justice and social issues in respectful, professional and ethical ways with other professionals and stakeholders.
Relates to: ULO4, Case Study Report - Assess technologies and their impacts on social and justice sectors.
Relates to: ULO4, Case Study Report
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Online
| Unit code: | JSB263 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | 72cp of completed study |
Overview
Understanding the Australian political system is essential for anyone aspiring to work in or engage with the public sector and political arenas. This study provides insights into the structure and functioning of key political institutions, shedding light on how decisions are made and implemented. Students will explore the historical evolution of the system, gaining perspective on how past changes shape current governance. The course encourages critical analysis and discussion, enabling students to form informed opinions and critiques of the system. By examining the intricacies of Australian politics, students will be better equipped to navigate and influence the political landscape.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Evaluate the impact of structures of governance on democratic policy-making.
- Analyse policy-making challenges in the Australian political system.
- Draw on scholarly and professional literature to propose recommendations for policy changes in Australia.
- Critique the usefulness and quality of GenAI reports for communicating Australian political issues to other professionals.
- Explain the ongoing impacts of colonialism on First Nations people in the Australian Political System.
Content
This unit will cover the following:
- The history of the political system in Australia - pre-contact to federation and beyond
- The Constitution and the High Court
- Parliament and Executive Government and Federalism
- Elections, voting and Political Parties
- The Public Sector- what does the public service do?
- Integrity, accountability and the Political System
- Media and the Political System
- Civil Society and the political system
- Indigenous Australia and the political system
- Social Change and the Political system
- Foreign policy- Australia in the region
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn by engaging in the following:
- lectures (live and recorded)
- tutorials (on-campus and online)
- online learning materials
- peer and group discussions
The unit adopts an interactive learning approach in which you are encouraged to discuss and critique the Australian political system.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas site.
Assessment
Overview
In this unit there are two assessments:
1. Case Study Report - This task draws on your understanding of the Australian political system and political issues to produce a case study report using GenAI in the process.
2. Exam (Written) - This task brings together the concepts and principles covered in this unit to respond to short answer and extended response questions.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Case Study Report
You will take on the role of a policy advisor to a Member of Parliament prepare a case study report on an Australian political issue. You will use GenAI to produce an initial report and critique its usefulness and quality for reports in policy and political work. Then you will improve the report through your own research before submitting a final case study report supported by scholarly and professional literature. Your submission will include the initial GenAI produced report with annotations showing your critique.
The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed for the purpose of generating content for this assessment task. Any generated content needs to be appropriately referenced and notes provided as to what prompts were used to generate the content.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Examination (written)
You will respond to a range of short and long answer questions on key issues in the Australian political system covered in this unit, including issues impacting First Nations people.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. Resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
Students are advised that some content in justice units may be confronting. If you are concerned that the content of a unit may impact your completion of the course, please see the unit coordinator. You can also access free student counselling through QUT Counselling via the QUT Student Homepage.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.JS34 Bachelor of Justice
- Apply social and criminal justice principles to explain justice issues and contexts.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO5, Case Study Report, Examination (written) - Collect and analyse evidence to inform decisions and recommendations in justice systems.
Relates to: ULO3, Case Study Report - Communicate justice and social issues in respectful, professional and ethical ways with other professionals and stakeholders.
Relates to: ULO4, Case Study Report - Assess technologies and their impacts on social and justice sectors.
Relates to: ULO4, Case Study Report