Educational material

This PowerPoint presentation by the Honourable Deputy President Reg Hamilton provides an overview of the themes included in the book and the film.

Download presentation:

• Presentation (pdf) 
• Presentation (PowerPoint) 

The Teachers’ kit (pdf) contains four units for years 9 and 10 in Secondary School.

The units teach the material in Waltzing Matilda and the Sunshine Harvester Factory. Teachers may wish to give students copies of the sections they wish to teach. This may be printed off the website and photocopied as required.

The lessons deal with:

1. why the Australian Parliament established the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in 1904
2. the establishment by the Court of a minimum wage, beginning with the Harvester decision of 1907 that 7 shillings a day for an unskilled labourer was ‘fair and reasonable wages’
3. the later change in the 1960s and 1970s to equal award pay for women and Aboriginal stockmen, and the development of special lower minimum wages for adolescents and apprentices, and
4. the gradual development of sick leave, annual leave, maternity and paternity leave in the 1930s–1990s.

As you read through you will note the use of pounds, shilling and pence. You will find a guide to the 'old' currency towards the end of this section.

The Student activities guide (also contained within the Teachers' Kit) is available as a separate downloadable document. It may be printed and photocopied as required.

Feedback and suggestions for the lesson plans should be directed to chambers.clancy.dp@fwc.gov.au.