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Our values · 1 min read

Equality of opportunity and a ‘fair go’

AUSTRALIAN VALUES In the real test, every values question must be correct.

We believe that everyone deserves a ‘fair go’ and people should not be limited by any kind of class distinction. Everyone, regardless of their background, is given an equal opportunity to achieve success in life, and ensuring that everyone has the same legal rights is an important aspect of fairness in Australian society.

What someone achieves in life should be a result of their hard work and talents. This means a person should get a job based on their skills and experience, not because of their gender, wealth or ethnicity.

When an organisation needs to fill a job, the law supports that they select the person with the best skills and experience for the job.

Many new migrants in Australia have become leaders in business, their profession, the arts, public service and sport through their hard work and enterprise.

Test yourself on this topic

7 questions on this topic, each with the answer explained.

  1. 1. A manager plans to give a job to a family friend rather than the strongest applicant. What does the law support?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • Selecting whichever applicant the manager knows and trusts
    • Selecting the applicant who has been unemployed the longest
    • Selecting the person with the best skills and experience
    • Selecting the applicant whose family has been here longest

    Explanation: When a job is filled, the law backs choosing the best person for it rather than a personal favourite.

  2. 2. A newly arrived family ask what a 'fair go' will mean for their children's future. What is the best answer?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • Everyone, whatever their background, gets an equal opportunity
    • Children of new arrivals are given jobs ahead of others
    • Success is decided by the school a child happens to attend
    • Everyone will receive the same income once they finish school

    Explanation: A 'fair go' promises an equal chance to succeed, not an equal result handed to everyone.

  3. 3. A person argues that those born into wealthy families deserve better treatment than others. How does this fit Australian values?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • It fits, because families of high standing have earned respect
    • It does not fit, because wealth must be shared out equally
    • It fits, because wealthy families contribute more in taxes
    • It does not fit, as people should not be limited by class

    Explanation: The idea of a 'fair go' means class or family standing should not decide how far a person can get.

  4. 4. A recent migrant doubts that someone like her could ever lead a business here. What does Australia's experience show?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • Leadership roles are usually kept for people born in Australia
    • Migrants may lead only after twenty years in the country
    • Migrants may lead only businesses run by their own community
    • Many new migrants have become leaders through hard work

    Explanation: Migrants have reached the top in business, the professions, the arts, public service and sport through their own effort.

  5. 5. In Australia, what should decide how much a person achieves in life?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • The community where they grew up as a child
    • Their own hard work and their own talents
    • The family that they happened to be born into
    • The amount of money that they already own

    Explanation: Success here is meant to come from effort and ability, not from birth or connections.

  6. 6. Which TWO of these should NOT decide whether a person is given a job in Australia?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • The applicant's ethnicity
    • The applicant's experience
    • The applicant's skills
    • The applicant's wealth

    Explanation: Jobs should be won on ability. Money and ethnic background have nothing to do with it.

  7. 7. Why does giving every person the same legal rights matter so much in Australia?

    AUSTRALIAN VALUES
    • It is an important aspect of fairness in Australian society
    • It means that everyone must belong to the same organisations
    • It allows the government to change the laws more quickly
    • It removes the need for courts to hear people's disputes

    Explanation: Fairness rests on everyone standing on the same legal footing, whoever they are.

From Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, the official booklet