The Royalist - Review: 'The Beginners Guide to The Australian Constitution'

Review: 'The Beginners Guide to The Australian Constitution'

Written by Joanne Leyland

Monday, 07 November 2005

Our aim on this website is to cover anything and everything which we think would be of interest and use to people around the world who both enjoy and perhaps even study the world of monarchy and the constitution.

We've become aware of a particularly good, insightful CD-Rom which is available for purchase via the Web at The Aussie Patriot Shop.

If you have a child who needs to study the Australian constitution - or are, indeed, a student yourself - then we believe you could do worse than check out this particular CD-Rom as it will help make your study so much more enjoyable.

There's no doubt about it: the inner workings of a nation's Constitution are enough to make even the most esteemed historian scratch their head in wonderment, such is the minutiae of detail involved. Sadly, in the past it's been a subject that has left generations of students baffled or (let us be honest here) downright bored as they sat listening to their seemingly ancient history teacher speak of the faceless 'Founding Fathers' from equally ancient and dusty textbooks.

But my, how times have changed!

In a world in which the powers of the computer, and most especially the Internet, are often maligned, it's heartening to see for oneself how the wonders of modern technology could help revolutionise the teaching of even the weightiest subjects. And believe me, there are few better examples of this than the 'Beginners Guide to the Australian Constitution' CD-ROM, a product which is both insightful and (yes) enjoyable to view.

The real beauty of the 'Beginners Guide' is the way in which the producers have married the documents of yesteryear with the technology of today. Not so long ago only the highest in the land were privy to documents which, thanks to an insightful use of multimedia, this CD-ROM now brings into the classroom and home at the touch of a button. No longer do you have to walk the corridors of power to see documents such as 'The Royal Style and Titles Act', or 'The Flags Act', signed several decades ago by such powerful figures as Queen Elizabeth II and the Governor-General.

From beginning to end, the CD-ROM contains an array of media - audio, video, music and often quite breathtaking stills photography - all of which brings colour and life to the history of this great country's Constitution. The student in the classroom in Western Australia or up in the Northern Territory can hear the people's elected representatives in lively debate thousands of miles away within the chambers of Parliament in Canberra.

Through an insightful use of historic paintings, photographs and documents, all the main elements of Australian history are covered, ranging from a brief history of the Aboriginal culture, the historic moment in 1788 when the British raised the (original) Union Flag over Sydney Cove, the timeline of Australia's changing borders - including the proclaiming of the colonies during the 1800s (particularly well explained thanks to the use of colourful maps) - and the Federation Act of 1901, through to the Australia Act of 1986.

Of course, there are times when the information can be overwhelming as (with or without such a worthy tool as this CD-ROM) this IS a hefty subject to tackle and therefore certain aspects need to be digested more than once. But here-in lies the beauty of the 'Beginner's Guide'. Students revising the subject for a history paper can quickly move between topics (thanks to an easy-to-use interface), the more complex of which are sub-divided for ease of access and understanding. For example, the movie relating to The Constitution Act is sub-divided into eight smaller chapters which include concise explanations of: 'The Parliament', 'The Executive', 'The Judicature', 'Trade-Finance' and 'The States'. Thanks to the control panel on the interface a teacher can easily pause the disc to discuss a particular point before continuing where they left off.

Especially helpful in absorbing the information is the dual use of audio and on-screen text: everything narrated by Sydney 2UE radio personality John Kerr is also written in large text across the screen - dare I say this is particularly helpful to the history student preparing to write a paper who wishes to quickly retrieve that elusive date or name!

The finale to the CD is simply amazing. Not many products give the viewer - be they in Australia or Outer Mongolia! - the chance to enjoy and even control (through a series of directional buttons) a panoramic view of, for instance, a large expanse of area in front of Sydney's iconic bridge and harbour. Other historically significant sights which can be explored via the wonders of VR Panorama include the Commonwealth Stone and Federation Valley in Centennial Park, Sydney. The virtual reality section leaves the viewer wanting more and we can only hope this technology will be used to an even greater extent in future versions of the CD-ROM.

In a perfect world the 'Beginners Guide' should become a must-have item for schools around the country and, indeed, homes too, for this is a quality product for a ridiculously good price. Even at the end of the disc the producers have yet more to offer with a number of useful Web links via which to read more about the Constitution. All in all, with this CD-ROM on their shelves no-one, be they adult or teenage student, should have any excuse not to have a firm understanding of how the backbone of their nation works, from the judiciary through to the Government and the Monarchy. If awards were handed out for achievements in wishing to bring history to life in schools, then the producers of this beautifully produced multimedia CD-ROM would surely have to be up there on the stage, taking a bow.

Who would have thought education could be made so interesting?!

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