Since the dawn of time for a society to work it needs to have a level of structure that applies to everyone and is understood by everyone. Australian legal system is broad and complex. It is the nature of the encompassing laws and regulations which reflect how people, organisations and governments behave on the many different levels of operation and these are created to make sure that everyone understands their rights and obligations. There are two sources of Law in Australia: Statute Law regulated by Parliament and comprise of legislations and acts; and Judge-made Law or Common Law where decisions made by judges are based on previous cases. Legislation and the Common law are not separate and independent sources of law. They exist in a symbiotic relationship. Symbiotic relationship refers to the two different sources of legal norms that provide the sum of rules establish system as a whole. (Brodie v Singleton Shire Council (2001) 206 CLR 512, 532 [31]) The Australian legal system also depends on a set of core principles. Without these principles, people and society would not and could not place their trust in the system to protect and promote their legal rights and interests. These principles are: fairness, transparency, equality before the law, freedom from bias and the right to be heard (Banks, 2007). This essay will hold a discussion regarding two main principles: fairness and justice. In particular, to what extent Australian legal system is based on fairness and justice? What is fairness? Fairness in law is decisions which will be made on the basis of a set of established rules that are known (Banks, 2007). For example, if there were no laws about using mobile phone while you are driving, it would be unfair for a person ... ... middle of paper ... ...the client is paying ongoing fees, • A ban is now in place on conflicted remuneration, including commissions and scaled advice so that the client will now be able to seek an advice in a single area he/she has issue in for an affordable price rather than being forced into a comprehensive advice package. From the aforementioned cases, it is evident to see that the Australian legal system has not always been fair and just, however, over time it has been shaped and moulded to clearly represent what is now considered to be fair and just in our society. From the procedures and presumptions of how the legal system is administered to the law and regulations which determine what is the crime and punishment – these are based on the transparency, equality, freedom from bias, human rights, and established set of rules adhere to the justice and fairness of the legal system.
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The roots of Australian laws are similar to traditional Aboriginal laws, dating back to before the Norman Conquest in 1066, where each separate village had their own laws developed to their own customs. This changed however, after a centralized legal system was established after 1066. A common law was formed, that applied to all of England. This was later combined with equity law and mercantile law, which is the basis of Australian law today, known as ‘statute law’.
Legal system is a comprehensive term that is used to confirm the existence of the law; it also explains the law-making process and how this is enforced on everyone. The Australian legal system regulates all level of governments, organisations, and all people whether they are Australian born or have migrated here, and they must obey Australia’s regulations. The legal system here was developed from the United Kingdom’s legal system, as Australia was a colony of the British. At a glance, the British government granted restricted rights to their colonies, including Australia to set local government system. This was intended to developed laws in local area, also to deal with specific situation at that time. As a result, the legal system in each of the colonies started to develop separately. According to Carvan J (2010) the Australian law is adopted from several sources, including the rules of equity, parliamentary laws, delegated legislations, judge-made laws, and international laws. (Austrlian Legal System, 2007)
In theory all jury systems (which have existed for almost 800 years) are fair and just.
“ ….Judgments, right or wrong. This concern with concepts such as finality, jurisdiction, and the balance of powers may sound technical, lawyerly, and highly abstract. But so is the criminal justice system….Law must provide simple answers: innocence or guilt, freedom or imprisonment, life or death.” (Baude, 21).
Although it is required to consider the common law rule, principles and to apply settled laws to new facts. The court is also restricted by different legal doctrines of precedent, separation of powers and the court is required to make Australia laws remain predictable and certain.
The governance of our present day public and social order co-exist within the present day individual. Attempts to recognize the essentiality of equality in hopes of achieving an imaginable notion of structure and order, has led evidence based practitioners such as Herbert Packer to approach crime and the criminal justice system through due process and crime control. A system where packer believed in which ones rights are not to be infringed defrauded or abused was to be considered to be the ideal for procedural fairness. “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” Thomas Jefferson pg 9 cjt To convict an individual because proper consideration was not taken will stir up social unrest rather then it’s initial intent, when he or she who has committed the crime is not punished for their doings can cause for a repetition and even collaboration with other’s for a similar or greater crime.
The gross over representation of indigenous people in the Australian criminal justice system (CJS) is so disturbingly evident that it is never the source of debate. Rather it is the starting point of discussions centring on the source and solutions to this prominent social, cultural and political issue. Discourse surrounds not only the economic and social disadvantage of indigenous communities, but also the systemic racism and continuing intergenerational trauma resulting for the unjust colonisation of a nation which has profited whites at the detriment to indigenous people throughout history. In respect to the currently CJS, trepidations are raised by indigenous communities around the lack of culturally diverse laws and punishments within the system. The overtly western system does not provide a viable space for indigenous
Case law/Common law – body of law developed over time by higher courts. Laws are c...
Punishment occurs to individuals who break the law. It is also used to maintain the level of crime and to protect community members in Australia. To determine that society is content with maintaining the crime rate, this essay will discuss punishment types given to offenders and how society justifies the use punishment. Additionally, providing a brief overview of the community correction and prions rates to show that communities prefer to incarcerate lawbreakers. Highlighting that crime rates are being maintained by looking at the personal crime rate for assault before concluding that Australian society feel safe enough to allow the criminal justice system to sustain the crime rate.
The Bail Act works in order to protect the community and prevent future offences, to protect individuals whom might be at risk if the accused is granted bail and to ensure the integrity of the justice system by ensuring the accused appear in court while avoiding the possible interference of evidence and witnesses. (Australian Government, 2017) The aim of the Act is to maintain the assumptions of innocence and liberty, while also taking the publics opinions and interests into consideration. Although granting and refusing of bail follows certain provisions and constraints, in recent years’ stakeholders have not been provided with suitable outcomes in relation to the process of bail. The Bail Act 1980 (QLD), is effective, however suggestions could
The changes needed for the Australian society to be adequately addressed is not the law itself but the consequences in regarding the law because if they were effective than there would be less violence happening but that is not the case.
The law balances the rights of victims, offenders and society to a certain extent in the criminal trial process. Mechanisms such as the use of evidence and witnesses, charge negotiations and juries are ways in which the legal system attempts to balance the rights of victims, offenders and society in the criminal trial process. Whilst they are effective in balancing rights, there are limitations to these mechanisms such as false witness statements, pressure to agree with charge negotiations and issues of bias with juries.
The Australian court system is structured as a hierarchy, meaning that some courts have more power than others. In this hierarchy there are two sections of courts; the state courts such as the supreme court, county court, court of appeal, magistrates court and specialised courts like children’s court for example and tribunals like VCAT all of these are set up under state legislation. The second section being federal courts such as the High court which comes under commonwealth legislation. So, depending on the crime committed and how serious or not it is, different courts in the hierarchy will deal with different cases.
‘Law as integrity’ embraces a vision for judges which states that as far as possible judges should identify legal rights and duties assuming that they are created by the public as an entity, and that they express the public’s perception of justice and fairness. This requires Dworkin’s ideal of Hercules, a judge of ‘superhuman skill, learning, patience and acumen’, to ask whether his interpretation of law could form a part of a coherent theory justifying the whole legal system. Law as integrity stipulates that the law must express one voice. Judges must accept that the law is based around coherent principles about justice, fairness and procedural due process, in all new cases which comes before them in order to treat everybody equally.