LAW

Essential influences on law:

• The Rule of Law (RoL)concept:
• A law will have the characteristics of being publicly available and enforceable.
• In western demo legal systems Rule of Law sees requirement of law to be known and applicable to all citizens – no-one is above the law.

·                                                       Influences on RoL:

• POLI: issues likely to inf voters are addressed, any topic to get support.
• ECO: growing inf, changed laws re: fin. and markets.
• CULTURAL: relig, philos, military societies will reflect in law.
• SOCIAL: moral, cult and intel ideals, concepts evolve from discuss.
• MORAL: intrinsic, personal, law altered as moral views shift.

NATURE OF LAW

• Devel of law reflecting past society:
• Mixed military/penal/civil of penal colonization to the inheritance of English law in our principles (precedent), personnel and jargon.  Doc of Reception implemented due to “terra nullius”. 
• “Letters Patent” à making govt.
• “NSW Govt” Act 1855 à made a Const.
• “Cwth of Aust Const” Act 1900 à divided state/fed powers.
• “Statute of Westminster” 31 à Brit can’t pass laws for us.

o  Present society in devel of law seen in multiculturalism and geog as well as secular ways.

§  Water, fire restrictions.

§  Views on sexuality, drugs depend, religion.

§  “Aust (Request & Consent) Act à now no links to Privy.

§  “Aust” Act 86 UK à cleared WM issue of dominion laws.

·      Different law systems:

o   CUSTOM: oral, not codified, localised, can become entrenched. E.g., ATSI, int cusom law (ship oncoming turning right).

o   CIVIL: Euro, adversarial, judges, court is inquisitorial, Roman natural law basis w/modern idea of equality. E.g., Napoleonic era.

o   COMMON: use of precedent, mainly from states/parli, democratic with independ judic.

·      The purposes of diff types of law:

o   MUNICIPAL: control citizens.

o   INT: guide (obliging) nations, regulating behaviour b/t them.

o   PUBLIC: guides govern admin and law making bodies.

o   PRIVATE: guides indivs, interaction b/t, torts and contracts.

o   CIVIL: defn right of public in terms of civil wrongs, non-crim.

o   CRIM: defns crim behaviour and aims to protect society.

o   CONTRACT: governs legal obliges and promises b/t citizens. àCarlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co: broke promise of product.

o   TORT: for non-contractual civil breaches (trespass, negligence).àDonoghue v. Stevenson: snail in jug and sick.

o   PROP: buy/ use of real (homes etc) personal prop.  Action/possess.

o   ATSI: law devel in indigo comms, recog in some crim and native.