5A3 Issues in Australian Environments
Syllabus –
5A3 Issues in Australian Environments
Students learn about:

Geographical issues affecting Australian environments
including:
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◦
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Air quality
Coastal management
Land and water management
Spatial inequality
Urban growth and decline
Waste management
Syllabus –
5A3 Issues in Australian Environments
Students learn to:

describe each geographical issue in relation to:
◦ its nature
◦ its impacts
◦ the responses by individuals, groups and governments to the
issue

outline how a range of geographical issues are affecting Australian
environments

We will focus on 2 geographical issues in depth

develop a research action plan, apply fieldwork techniques,
present geographical information and demonstrate active
citizenship
What is a Geographical Issue

Geographical issues involve the interaction
of the physical and human environments and
have the following aspects:
◦ A spatial dimension – where and why the issue is
occurring
◦ An ecological dimension – the way humans
interact with the physical and human
environment
◦ A particular scale – local, regional, state, national
or international
What is a Geographical Issue continued

Geographical issues involve the interaction
of the physical and human environments and
have the following aspects:
◦ Geographical processes – physical and human
forces operating to cause the issue
◦ Different perceptions – range of viewpoints or
opinions about the issue
◦ Different groups involved in the issue including
residents, communities, governments and
businesses
The 6 geographical issues defined
Spatial Inequality
‘The great divide.’

Spatial inequality investigates the differences that exist in relation to
access to resources and services between different areas of
Australia

Examples include:
◦ The type and quality of housing in an area
◦ Income levels
◦ Access to schools and institutions for further education
◦ The quality of health services and employment opportunities
that are available to people.

Geographers work to ensure that access to resources is fair and
equitable and to remove some of the barriers that spatial inequality
presents.
Spatial Inequality – a living example
Coastal management
‘Managing our coastline in a sustainable way.’

The Australian coastline is a resource under pressure
due to human activity that is changing the natural
processes that have formed and shaped the coastal
environment for thousands of years.

Issues in coastal environments centre around
managing human alterations to natural processes and
repairing damage.
Coastal management
Urban growth and decline
‘Everything old is new again.’

Urban growth refers to urban areas increasing, either in area
or in population size.

Urban decline
◦ Areas within a city that become disused as a result of changes in
industry or in the nature of a community.
◦ The decline of small rural towns as larger urban centres grow.

Urban growth and decline are influenced by the geographical
processes of urban consolidation, urban decay, urban renewal
and suburbanisation.
Urban growth and decline
Q. 41 Which geographical issue affecting Australian
environments is best illustrated by Source D below?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Air quality
Urban growth
Spatial inequality
Land and water management
Waste management

Modern living leads to huge volumes of waste being produced, which is
disposed of in the oceans, air, rivers and on the land.

Geographical issues surrounding waste include:
◦ The type of waste and the disposal of it.
 Using waste as landfill which consumes large areas of land.
 Chemical and contaminated waste sites.

Solutions focus on reducing the
amount of waste generated,
promoting the reusing of items and
developing recycling options in order
to promote a more sustainable future
through waste reduction.
Waste management
Land and water management


Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth.
Water management is important as communities face the issues of
water quantity and quality.

Land management is a confronting geographic issue for rural
Australia. Salinity, soil erosion and desertification are all
geographical processes acting to destroy productive cropland.
Through the development of land management techniques, farmers
are able to use their land more sustainably.

Land and water management issues are intertwined as the
sustainable management of the land is linked to the sustainable use
of Australia’s
water resources.
Air quality

The cost of poor air quality in cities is difficult to
accurately measure but has been linked to a number of
health problems.

Two major pollutants are:
◦ Pollution from reliance on
motor vehicles.
◦ Pollution from industry.

Air pollution can be made worse by the topography of
the land, as is the case for Sydney’s location on a coastal
plain surrounded by mountains.
Civics and Citizenship

Once geographical knowledge and management
solutions about an issue are developed it is important
that this knowledge is used effectively to promote a
more sustainable and equitable future for all
Australians.

Civics involves the knowledge of effective ways
individuals, groups and governments can influence the
decision-making processes about an issue.

Citizenship involves action or exercising your rights
to influence the decision-making processes to ensure
a fair and sustainable outcome.
Refer SIMB – past questions
A mixture of multiple choice, short
answer and extended response on
geographical issues from 2006-2010 past
papers
Coastal Management
Australia’s Coasts

In comparison with many countries of the world, Australia
possesses an enormous continuous coastline.

Australia's coast including islands stretches for about 60 000
kilometres and comprises over 10 000 separate beaches.

About two-thirds of the population live in the towns and cities that
have been built to take advantage of the many benefits the coastline
brings.
Coastal Management– Activity

Research ONE of the above beaches which is experiencing coastal
management issues.
◦ Outline the geographical processes causing the issue (refer next slide)
◦ Identify the groups that are involved in the issue and explain the
actions they are taking to manage the issue or influence the decisionmaking processes.
◦ Describe the likely solution to the issue.
The geographical processes relevant to
coastal management

Atmospheric processes –
◦ caused by such elements as temperature change, storms and the
force of the wind.

Biotic processes –
◦ plant and animal life and the way they interact.

Geomorphic processes –
◦ uplifting forces within the Earth’s crust, which create sea cliffs or
the forces of erosion and deposition.

Hydrologic processes –
◦ action of the waves, the tides and ocean currents.