HSC Legal Studies · Crime · Chapter 6 · Student worksheet
International Crime — Activity Materials
Print or work on screen · pairs with the Chapter 6 lesson
Activity 1 — Sort the crime
Syllabus link: 6.1 categories of international crime
Sort each example into crime against the international community (prosecuted internationally) or transnational crime (dealt with by cooperation) by writing IC or TN.
| Example | IC / TN |
|---|
| A militia leader uses child soldiers under 15 during a civil war. | |
| A syndicate smuggles people across borders by boat for profit. | |
| A systematic campaign to destroy an ethnic group. | |
| An online fraud ring steals banking data from victims in several countries. | |
| A widespread, systematic attack on a civilian population (outside a war). | |
| A cartel traffics illegal drugs from overseas into Australia. | |
In one sentence: what is universal jurisdiction?
Activity 2 — The ICC: match the fact
Syllabus link: 6.2 the International Criminal Court & the Rome Statute
Match each fact to the correct term from the word-bank.
Rome StatuteThe HagueComplementarityLubangaUniversal jurisdictionState sovereignty
| Fact | Term |
|---|
| The 1998 treaty that created the ICC. | |
| The city where the ICC sits. | |
| The principle that the ICC acts only where a state won't or can't prosecute. | |
| The first person ever convicted by the ICC (child soldiers, DRC). | |
| The idea that any state may prosecute the gravest crimes wherever they occur. | |
| The principle that limits enforcement because states cannot be compelled to cooperate. | |
Activity 3 — Domestic vs international measures
Syllabus link: 6.2–6.3 dealing with international crime
For each body or law, tick whether it is mainly a domestic (Australian) measure or an international one, and note in a few words what it does.
| Body / law | Domestic / International | What it does |
|---|
| Australian Federal Police (AFP) | | |
| INTERPOL | | |
| Division 268, Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) | | |
| UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) | | |
| Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) | | |
| The International Criminal Court (ICC) | | |
Activity 4 — Effective or not? The sovereignty problem
Syllabus link: 6.4 state sovereignty; evaluating effectiveness
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for sitting leaders (e.g. Putin in 2023, Netanyahu in 2024), but they have not been arrested. Use this to build a balanced evaluation.
Evidence the measures ARE effective
Evidence they are LIMITED
My judgement (to what extent are the measures effective?) — one or two sentences
Activity 5 — Plan the 2025-style extended response
Syllabus link: whole chapter + link to domestic Crime chapters
Plan a response to a real HSC-style question: "Analyse how Australia's criminal legal system operates to protect community interests, referring to legal measures to combat both transnational and domestic crimes." Fill the planner.
| Paragraph | Point + example/legislation + theme |
|---|
| Intro (thesis) | |
| Body 1 — domestic measures | |
| Body 2 — transnational/international measures | |
| Body 3 — evaluation (sovereignty) | |
| Conclusion | |
Take it further — resources
Real, reputable sources for your own research
- International Criminal Court: icc-cpi.int — cases, the Rome Statute, current situations.
- INTERPOL: interpol.int — how international police cooperation works.
- UNODC: unodc.org — transnational organised crime and the UNTOC convention.
- Australian Federal Police: afp.gov.au — how Australia combats transnational crime.
- Attorney-General's Department — extradition: ag.gov.au.
- ABC News / The Conversation (AU): search a recent ICC story (an arrest warrant, a withdrawal) and note what it shows about state sovereignty.