Exploring the Franklin River
The Franklin River dam dispute in Tasmania revolved around the issue of environmental protection versus development.
As a national and international issue, the main focus was whether a state had control over its own territory, or whether the Commonwealth could make legislation on environmental issues of international significance. This was one of the significant debates to occur in Old Parliament House between 1982 and 1983.
These resources help students engage with the arguments for and against the damming of the river.
Resources
Franklin river – teacher resource
This comprehensive resource includes background information, activities sheets and Hansard speeches to support students' exploration of the many arguments for and against the damming of the Franklin River.
For and against – activity sheet
Students can capture arguments for and against damming the Franklin River in this activity sheet. They will be able to organise their facts on the issue and draw a conclusion based on their knowledge of both sides.
Visible thinking routine – activity sheet
Using the 3 whys visible thinking routine, students consider how different groups felt about the damming of the Franklin River.
Communicating powerful messages – activity sheet
This activity sheet supports students to consider different ways people communicated their messages around the Franklin River debate.
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