role-play: Taxation and welfare summit: research the viewpoint of the role played in the summit and prepare a three-minute summary of research findings, justifying the recommended policy reforms write a report that outlines ways to measure the extent to which an economy has an equitable distribution of income and the extent to which an economy is achieving efficiency of resource allocation think, pair, share activity: brainstorm different types of income; in pairs, classify these into three groups (earned, unearned and transfer), give the classified groups a name and definition and share results with class; pairs then compare definitions with textbook or online official definitions, noting any differences use a range of case studies from a range of media sources to illustrate the potential trade-off that exists between the achievement of equity in the distribution of income and efficiency of resource allocation the government is currently investigating ways to create greater equity in the distribution of income by reforming the taxation system and asks for recommendations; outline reasons why the following proposed changes will promote greater equity or contribute to higher levels of inequality debate the topic that: ‘Inequalities of income are due entirely to differences in ownership of factors of production’ imagine you have been commissioned to write an Economics Dictionary that defines key concepts and terms; write an entry for the Economics Dictionary which states the difference between equity in the distribution of income and equality in the distribution of income use a range of online tools and applications to create an audio-visual display of data and information which outlines how income inequality in Australia is measured and shows trends in levels of income inequality in Australia over the past twenty years ROLE-PLAY – TAXATION AND WELFARE REFORM SUMMIT The Australian Government has announced that they will be holding a taxation and welfare reform summit to debate the best ways to improve the equity and efficiency of the taxation and welfare system in Australia. A number of delegates from around Australia have been invited to present at the summit. Students will be asked to select a role form the list below or alternatively they can negotiate another role that is not on the list with their teacher. The Prime Minister The Opposition Leader The Treasurer Minister for Social Services Minister for Small Business Minister for Employment Minister for Women President, Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) President, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President, Business Council of Australia (BCA)
Appendix 2: Examples of a weekly course outline on a semester of sixteen weeks, a suggested allocation of teaching time in Unit 3 would be six weeks for Area of Study 1, five weeks for Area of Study 2, and five weeks for Area of Study 3. Following is a suggested time allocation for Unit 3, Area of Study 1: An introduction to microeconomics: the market system, resource allocation and government intervention. (based on 6 available weeks) ½ a week Introductory concepts – needs, wants, resources, relative scarcity, opportunity cost 1 week Demand – the law of demand, the demand curve and demand factors 1 week Supply – the law of supply, the supply and supply factors 1 week Factors affecting the elasticity of demand and supply ½ a week The role of relative prices in competitive markets on the allocation of resources, including reference to the types of efficiency 1½ weeks Reasons for market failure and government intervention to address market failure and the unintended consequences of government intervention ½ a week Preparing and undertaking School-assessed Coursework assessments Following is a suggested time allocation for Unit 3, Area of Study 2: Domestic goals. (based on 5 available weeks) 1½ weeks Living standards, circular flow model, business cycle, aggregate demand and aggregate supply 1 week Low inflation (price stability) 1 week Strong and sustainable economic growth 1 week Full employment ½ a week Preparing and undertaking School-assessed Coursework assessments