Year 9 · Question

Hard Questions, Real Stakes

Climate, Country, critical minerals and the future of WA work

Students engage with the contested, complex issues that will define WA's next generation — the energy transition, the global race for critical minerals, First Nations land rights, and what it means to build a career in an industry facing both intense scrutiny and extraordinary opportunity.

The Year 9 units

Year 9 doesn't flinch. Across four units, students take on the questions adults are still arguing about: whether WA can be a global resources powerhouse and still lead on climate, why the world is racing for the minerals beneath this state, how the industry and First Nations peoples have shaped each other, and what a truly informed pathway decision actually looks like. It matters because Year 9 students can smell propaganda a mile away — and with subject selection now a year off, this is the moment to replace easy answers with honest judgment.

Every unit arrives classroom-ready — full lesson sequences, slides, student workbooks and assessment rubrics, aligned to the revised Western Australian Curriculum, mandated from 2026.

Unit 01

Carbon, Climate and the Kimberley

"Can WA be a global resources powerhouse and still lead on climate action?"

The tension unit. WA's emissions profile, climate commitments and land-use pressures examined without flinching — students argue the strongest version of positions they do not hold.

Students produceA structured argumentative essay on the powerhouse-versus-climate question.
HASS Geography · Biomes and food security
Unit 02

The Global Race for Critical Minerals

"Why is the world suddenly desperate for what WA has in the ground?"

Why global agencies project demand for WA's minerals to multiply, who is competing for them, and what interdependence means when supply chains become strategic.

Students produceA country-versus-country critical minerals strategy comparison.
Industry connectionCase study of a partner critical-minerals project.
HASS Economics · Australia in the global economy
Unit 03

First Nations and the Resources Boom

"How has the industry shaped — and been shaped by — WA's First Nations communities?"

Native title, agreements, employment programs and unresolved history — how the industry and First Nations peoples have shaped each other. Developed and reviewed with Aboriginal education advisors.

Students produceA case study of one agreement or partnership, with multiple voices represented.
HASS Geography · Biomes and food security
Unit 04

Your Pathway, Your Choice

"What does a deliberate, truly informed career decision into WA's resources sector look like?"

The decision unit. Students map real routes — TAFE, apprenticeships, university, direct entry — against their own strengths, with genuine risk-and-reward reasoning.

Students produceA comparative pathway analysis: three routes, honestly costed.
Industry connectionVideo panel with partner graduates and apprentices.
HASS Economics · Opportunities, risks and rewards · Career Learning

For the teacher running it

Zero prep

One page of guidance per unit. Everything else is done.

Complete materials

Lesson sequences, decks, workbooks and rubrics included.

Curriculum current

Aligned to the revised WA Curriculum every school teaches from 2026.

Real industry access

Worker videos, site content and industry panels arranged through the program.

← Year 8 · ValueThe Economics of the Ground Year 10 · Plan →Your Future, Your Plan