Our ethics education program supports students to develop skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and collaborative inquiry.

Ethics teachers – who are fully trained volunteers – deliver lessons from our world-class curriculum (see a full list of topics below) that encourage students to both think for themselves and think with others through discussion. Our curriculum is not about imposing a particular moral code. Students are not told what to think or what the right thing to do is in any situation. We support them to think about and articulate their own views while considering their classmates’ diverse range of views.

Our curriculum also encourages students to engage with key elements of the general capabilities outlined by ACARA (the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority), including:
• Ethical understanding (eg. exploring ethical concepts, examining values, rights, responsibilities and ethical norms)
• Critical and creative thinking (eg. inquiring, evaluating actions and outcomes, thinking about thinking)
• Personal and social capability (eg. personal awareness, empathy, community awareness, collaboration).

Our guidelines for high school different from the discussion rules used in the primary ethics classroom.

Our Discussion Guidelines focus on creating a safe and collaborative space. They focus on how students behave during the discussion. 

Our Discussion Moves complement the Guidelines by providing specific actions students can take to advance the discussion intellectually. They focus on how students contribute to the content of the conversation and push their own thinking – and that of others – further. 

Sign up for our @Home bulletin for parents of ethics students

Once a term, we’ll send you our Primary Ethics @Home email bulletin to give you news about the topics being discussed in your child’s ethics lessons.

    Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) topics

    Years 7 and 8 (Stage4)

    In 2026, students in Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) are discussing the following topics.

    Introductory topic: Introduces students to ethics lessons, discussion norms and the idea of exploring big questions together. Students practise listening, sharing ideas and giving simple reasons in a low-stakes context.

    Role models: Students explore what makes someone a role model and whether moral character matters. They consider expectations, influence and the role models play in shaping values and behaviour.

    Well, why can’t kids vote? Students examine arguments for and against lowering the voting age. They consider maturity, representation, fairness and how decision-making works in families, schools and societies.

    The value of friendship: Students explore the nature and value of friendship. They consider loyalty, responsibility, peer pressure and whether friendship creates special moral obligations.

    From moon trash to migrant horses: Students explore ethical questions about environmental responsibility and stewardship. They consider ownership, custodianship, introduced species and our obligations to land and ecosystems.

    Who wants to live forever? Students explore ethical questions about life extension and immortality. They consider resource limits, generational justice and how dramatically extended lifespans might reshape society.

    What do I owe my people? Students explore questions of community, culture and identity. They consider cultural pride, obligation, appropriation and responsibilities to preserve or challenge traditions.

    Why won’t you listen to me? Students examine whose voices are heard and whose are ignored. They consider age, power, credibility and responsibility in cases of misunderstanding or exclusion.

    Lizard people and fake news: Students explore belief formation, conspiracy theories and misinformation. They consider the ethical impact of fake news on trust, democracy and public discourse.

    Being yourself: Students explore identity, authenticity and self-expression. They consider labels, social roles and whether being ‘yourself’ can look different across contexts.

    In 2027, students in Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) will discuss the following topics.

    New in 2027 – Ethics of defence [comes late in the year]: Students explore ethical questions surrounding the use of AI in warfare. They consider responsibility, accountability, decision-making and the risks of delegating life-and-death choices to machines.

    You’re not the boss of me: Students explore autonomy, authority and age-based limits on freedom. They consider when restrictions on choice are justified and who should have decision-making power.

    Giving and accepting apologies: Students explore what makes an apology meaningful. They consider understanding harm, responsibility, forgiveness and whether individuals or groups can apologise on behalf of others.

    Happiness: Students explore different ideas about happiness and wellbeing. They consider whether happiness is the ultimate goal in life and how happiness should be measured or prioritised.

    Welcome to our robot overlords: Students explore ethical questions about advanced artificial intelligence. They consider risk, control, responsibility and how humans should treat highly intelligent machines.

    Does it matter if everyone disagrees with you? Students explore disagreement, confidence and justification. They consider when disagreement should lead us to revise our views and when it should not.

    Yuck! Students explore disgust and moral judgement. They consider whether feelings of disgust are reliable guides to what is right or wrong.

    Thinking hot, thinking cold: Students explore the role of emotion in decision-making. They consider how emotions influence judgement and whether emotions can support or undermine good reasoning.

    The cost of a human life: Students explore how and why human life is valued in policy and decision-making. They consider moral limits to cost–benefit analysis and whether some lives should be valued differently.