Community Service

Pillar 5: Participation of Citizens

Media description: Teens in the movie Broken Hill (Audience Alliance Pictures 2009) are sentenced by a magistrate to community service.

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MEDIA CONTEXT
The opening scene of this clip from the movie Broken Hill (Audience Alliance Pictures 2009) shows Kat Rogers (Alexa Vega) and Tommy McAlpine (Luke Arnold) in a court room. After participating with their peers in reckless thrills through town, including vandalism, Kat and Tommy are singled out by the magistrate (Chrissie Page) as “the ringleaders”. They are sentenced to 20 hours of community service, which they are not thrilled about.
It is clear Kat wants to get it over and done with as soon as possible. It also seems she feels no remorse or responsibility for her actions. Kat and Tommy’s community service leader (Maude Davey) patiently explains, “This could be a learning experience you know.” And she was right. For various reasons, by the end of Broken Hill there is an evident improvement in Kat, Tommy, and the people they ‘serve’.

MEDIA CRITIQUE
Kat Rogers (Alexa Vega) talks back at Magistrate Cowler (Chrissie Page) in the Broken Hill court scene. Was this scene played well by Vega? Is it realistic that her character, a teenager, would feel so confident or be so haughty in a court room? The magistrate’s raised eyebrows communicated effectively she would take no nonsense, but might Kat have been censured more severely in a real court situation? Is the sentence of community service a realistic one?
No reference to Kat’s status as a U.S. citizen is made. Does an infringement of the law in reality affect one’s Australian residency status? This concern may have been raised without necessarily steering away from the main plot.

ANALYSIS & REVIEW

1. Define community service.
2. Discuss the effectiveness of court ordered community service (in relation to the individual and community).
3. How may community service be a “learning experience”, whether forced or voluntary?
4. What can you do to serve your community?

THE AUSTRALIAN CONSTITUTION & AUSTRALIA TODAY
The Constitution is the rulebook for Australian democracy. Citizens have the responsibility to actively participate in order to maintain or improve the type of democracy Australia enjoys. Being involved in the community in some way serves the Australian ethos.

PERSONAL APPLICATION
Participation in community service does not have to be forced and contributes to the greater good of society. Identify some local, state and national community service projects i.e. Clean Up Australia Day, tree planting, fun runs etc. Plan with your class to be involved in one of the community service projects you identify.

AUSCIVICS FILM & TV SERIES LINKED TO SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Learning areas and/or outcomes relating to the questions and issues above have been identified for each state and territory in the following links:*