If students are visiting the Museum of Political Scandals, the questions should encourage them to think critically rather than simply identify “good” and “bad” politicians. The aim is to help them understand accountability, ethics, the role of the media and democratic institutions. The museum is a place to preserve and examine significant political scandals as part of Australia’s democratic history. A democratic world starts at school with knowledge of what can go wrong and what stops wrong things happening. And importantly – how do youn define as what is wrong.
The big question for individuals is – would you have done the same thing? If confronted with electoral defeat would you have lied to try to win the election?
Before the visit maybe ask:
- What is a political scandal?
- What is the difference between a mistake, poor judgement and corruption?
- Why do democracies need transparency?
- Should politicians be held to a higher ethical standard than ordinary citizens? Why or why not?
- How do you think scandals affect public trust in government?
During the visit
- Which scandal surprised you the most, and why?
- What rules or ethical standards were broken?
- Who was affected by the decisions made?
- Was the scandal exposed by:
- the media?
- a whistleblower?
- an inquiry?
- the courts?
- Parliament?
- What consequences followed?
- Were those consequences appropriate?
- Could the scandal have been prevented?
- What evidence is presented? Is it convincing?
Analysing individual scandals
For each exhibit, ask students:
- What happened?
- Who benefited?
- Who lost?
- Which democratic institutions responded?
- How long did it take before the issue became public?
- What reforms followed?
- Could something similar happen today?
Comparing scandals
- Which scandal caused the greatest damage to public confidence?
- Are financial scandals more damaging than abuses of power?
- Are political scandals becoming more common, or are they simply reported more often?
- Compare two scandals from different decades. What has changed?
Media and democracy
- What role did journalists play?
- Could the scandal have remained hidden without investigative reporting?
- Did the media report fairly?
- How might social media change how this scandal unfolded today?
- How should journalists balance the public’s right to know with individual privacy?
Ethics
- Is something unethical even if it is legal?
- Should politicians resign because of poor judgement alone?
- Can a politician recover public trust after a scandal?
- Where should the line be drawn between private behaviour and public office?
Australian democracy
- Which democratic institutions helped expose wrongdoing?
- What checks and balances worked well?
- Which ones failed?
- How important are independent bodies such as auditors, anti-corruption commissions and courts?
- What reforms would you introduce after seeing these exhibits?
Reflection
- Which exhibit changed your opinion the most?
- What did you learn about leadership?
- What qualities make an ethical public servant?
- Has the museum made you more or less confident in Australian democracy? Explain.
- What is one lesson every future politician should learn from this museum?
Extension activities
Teachers could also ask students to:
- Write a newspaper article about one scandal as if reporting it at the time.
- Conduct a mock parliamentary inquiry into one case.
- Debate: “Political scandals ultimately strengthen democracy because they expose weaknesses.”
- Create a timeline showing how a scandal unfolded and how institutions responded.
- Compare an Australian political scandal with one from another democracy and identify similarities and differences.
- Recommend one reform that could reduce the likelihood of a similar scandal occurring in the future, explaining how it would improve accountability.
These questions align well with the Australian Curriculum in History and Civics and Citizenship, encouraging students to evaluate evidence, understand democratic institutions, and consider the importance of integrity and accountability in public life.