Quick answer: Teach Years 9–10 geography in Perth by tracing a real resource from where it is mined to where it is used, then weighing the economic, environmental and social effects at each stage. The Natural Resource Extraction & Processing unit gives students supply chain case studies, and WA's own mining data supplies the local evidence.
In 2026, the revised Western Australian Curriculum for Pre-primary to Year 10 HASS became mandatory, alongside revised Mathematics, Science and Technologies. The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) adopted and adapted the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 for these learning areas, so many Perth HASS departments are reviewing their Years 9 and 10 geography units this year.
Few places in Australia offer better geography material than Western Australia. Mining and METS made up 39% of gross state product in 2024–25, according to the WA Government, and the state accounts for 62% of Australia's mining and petroleum investment. Students can study global connections through an industry that shapes their own city.
What geography should Years 9–10 students learn?
In these years, geography shifts towards interconnections between places, the management of environments and the reasoning behind decisions. Useful concepts to build across the two years:
- Place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale and change
- How resources are extracted, processed, transported and traded
- Global value chains and why one product can involve several countries
- Environmental impacts of resource use and ways they are managed
- Economic, social and environmental perspectives on the same development
- Fieldwork, mapping and data skills, including interpreting choropleth maps and graphs
Vocabulary to teach explicitly: extraction, processing, export, value chain, externality, rehabilitation, stakeholder and sustainable development.
What is a good sequence for a resources and sustainability unit?
Plan for about eight lessons, plus time for an inquiry task.
- Start with an object students own, such as a phone, and list the raw materials inside it.
- Map where those materials might come from, highlighting any mined in Western Australia.
- Use the case studies in the natural resource extraction and supply chains unit to follow one resource from mine to finished product.
- Analyse a simple data set on WA's resources sector, using the dated figures from the WA Government.
- Examine environmental impacts at each stage: land clearing, water use, emissions and transport.
- Compare stakeholder views: a mining company, a Traditional Owner group, a regional town, an environmental organisation.
- Introduce sustainability frameworks and rehabilitation of mine sites.
- Set an inquiry question such as Should WA process more of its minerals at home? and have students argue from evidence.
How can I make the Perth connection concrete?
Start with the numbers. Mining and METS made up 39% of WA's gross state product in 2024–25, and WA battery and critical minerals sales reached $10.5 billion in 2024. Ask students what these figures mean for jobs in Perth, for the state budget and for regional towns.
The coast adds another angle. Ports along the Indian Ocean coast move resources to buyers overseas, which makes shipping routes and trade partners a good mapping task. Students can draw the routes on a world map and label the likely destinations of different minerals.
Our Perth teaching resources page lists more local classroom ideas across subjects.
What do students often get wrong about resources and sustainability?
Resource topics invite simple opinions. Push students towards balanced reasoning.
- Mining is all good or all bad. Students should weigh economic, social and environmental effects together.
- Sustainability only means the environment. It also covers economic and social wellbeing.
- Resources go straight from mine to shop. Most pass through several countries and processing stages.
- Figures do not need dates. Every statistic should carry its year and source.
- Rehabilitation returns land to exactly how it was. Recovery is usually partial and takes time.
How do I differentiate geography tasks?
Give all students the same supply chain diagram and vary the output. Support students label the stages and add one impact to each. Core students explain how one stage affects another. Extension students evaluate a policy option with evidence from at least two perspectives.
English learners gain a lot from the vocabulary work in the Globalization: Chances and Challenges lessons, which build terms such as supply chain, free trade and inequality and practise analysing non-fiction texts. Sentence frames help in discussions: From an economic perspective ___, but from an environmental perspective ___.
How does this unit link to other subjects and senior study?
Resource geography connects naturally with science. After studying extraction, students can look at how ecosystems respond to disturbance and restoration. The Ecosystem Management unit on biodiversity and sustainability covers resilience and restoration ecology, which fits well with mine-site rehabilitation.
The same skills, data interpretation and argument from evidence, prepare students for ATAR Geography and Economics in Years 11 and 12. Browse our HASS collection for history, civics and economics units that extend this topic.
Geography in Perth: at a glance
| Year band | Years 9–10 |
|---|---|
| Framework | Revised Western Australian Curriculum HASS, mandatory in 2026 |
| Assessment context | School-based assessment, preparing for ATAR Geography and WACE |
| Suggested sequence | About eight lessons plus an inquiry task |
| Lead resource | Natural Resource Extraction & Processing |
| Local hook | WA accounts for 62% of Australia's mining and petroleum investment |
Frequently asked questions
Is the revised HASS curriculum mandatory in WA in 2026?
Yes. The revised Pre-primary to Year 10 HASS curriculum is mandatory in Western Australian schools in 2026, together with revised Mathematics, Science and Technologies. SCSA adopted and adapted the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 for these learning areas, so it is worth checking your Years 9 and 10 units against the new content.
How do I teach mining without taking sides?
Present several perspectives and ask students to argue from evidence. Use dated figures from official sources for the economic side, case studies for environmental impacts, and stakeholder views for the social side. Assess the quality of reasoning, not which conclusion a student reaches.
What local data can Perth students use?
WA Government figures are a good start: mining and METS made up 39% of gross state product in 2024–25, and battery and critical minerals sales reached $10.5 billion in 2024. Always show the year and source so students learn to date their evidence.
Can the Natural Resource Extraction unit be used in Year 9?
Yes. It is listed for Years 9 to 12 and includes differentiated worksheets and activities, so it suits Year 9 and Year 10 classes. With a younger group, focus on the supply chain case studies first and leave the more complex trade analysis for later.
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