democracy a political system where citizens elect representatives to govern and make laws on their behalf, with key freedoms protected including speech, association, assembly, religion and movement demographic describes statistical characteristics of a population demotic script the simplest of the ancient Egyptian scripts; almost like handwriting deported forced to leave the country desalination a process that removes salt from sea water dialects different forms of a language direct action peaceful public activities to create change discrimination unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on race, gender, age or sexual orientation dissection the systematic cutting up of a body for medical study
diverse showing a great deal of variety divination the skill of reading omens DNA the material in all living things that carries genetic information
Dreaming The Dreaming in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality explains the beginning of Earth, life cycles, creation and nature. It shows everyone’s place in the world and the importance of rituals and traditions. drought a long period of time when rainfall received is below average due process the procedures occurring during a trial that ensure people are treated fairly by the legal system dugong a sea animal, sometimes called a sea cow, found mainly on the coasts bordering the Indian Ocean ecological footprint total area of land used to produce the goods and services consumed by an individual or country economic system a way of organising the production and distribution of the nation’s goods, services and incomes economics a social science (study of human behaviour) that analyses the decisions made by individuals, businesses and governments about how limited resources are used to satisfy society’s unlimited needs andwants ecosystem a community of organisms, plants or animals and the environment they exist in El Niño the reversal (every few years) of the more usual direction of winds and surface currents across the Paciýc Ocean; this change causes drought in Australia and heavy rain in South America electoral system the process for conducting elections and choosing representatives emotive words words that create a strong emotional reaction employees people who work for a wage or salary enterprise the creative or bold efforts made by someone to achieve something new entrepreneur a person who takes on a risk by starting a business with an idea, hoping to make a proýt through initiative and enterprise environment the natural and human surroundings in which people, plants and animals live, including ecosystems, landscapes and built environments environmental resource a material found in nature that is necessary or useful to people equilibrium a resting point in a market where the forces of supply and demand are equally matched, and where the market is ‘cleared’ Etruscans advanced, civilised people who dominated early Rome from about 575 BCE to about 396 BCE evaluation the process of assessing something to determine its value, effectiveness or impact evaporation the process by which water is converted from a liquid to a gas and thereby moves from land and surface water into the atmosphere evidence information that indicates whether something is true or really happened Federation when separate states or colonies join to form one united country, sharing law-making power between the national and state governments þy in, þy out (FIFO) workers who þy to work in remote places, work 7-to-21-day shifts and then þy home for extended leave
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