Introduction
In today's society, many of us take for granted the freedom we have. As Australians, we have the liberty to pursue our dreams, have the power and freedom to express ourselves. However, what will life be like if Australia is a communist country just like North Korea or the Soviet Union in the past?
Task
Read the fictional description of a Communist Australia, and complete the inquiry-based questions under 'Evaluation'.
Process
Communist Australia
Living in communist Australia isn’t easy. I am constantly watched. A small vehicle like the Lada from Russia will be following my family’s car around the city, and a man in a dark suit will always keep an eye on whatever we do as we walked about. I have to be extremely careful with the things I say through the phone. My phones were tapped, my house is bugged, and my open is always opened. I assumed that the Australian government provided housekeeper to frequently report on my family. Even my dog is enlisted – when I take him for walks he will run happily to the mortified minder, seeking the treats he was obviously used to getting.
Even as a grade-school child I was aware of the surveillance and the need for caution. I remember the stricken looks on my parents' faces when I once blurted out the code to their locked briefcase; that was when I realized that the walls had ears.
Espionage was a deadly serious game back then, and suspicions and tensions ran high. We worried about the fates of the Americans or Westerners we interacted with, and we knew that some suffered consequences for associating with us. Westerners faced dangers too; diplomats and reporters could be expelled, or worse, if they ran afoul of the dreaded Australia Communist Party.
We are strictly separated from anyone who is remotely democratic. We lived in walled and guarded compounds, drove in specially marked cars, shopped in hard-currency stores, and attended foreign schools.
….
Evaluation
Communist Australia
Question 1: Describe the differences between the Australia you currently live in, and the Communist Australia.
Question 2: How do you feel living in a Communist Australia?
Question 3: Do you want to live in a Communist Australia? Why/Why not? Relate to the Paper Activity that we did.
QUestion 4: What are some values that are really important to you?
Question 5: Should you protect your values at all cost?
Question 6: Will you disobey the Communist government in Australia in order not to compromise on your values?