BLAW10001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Bicameralism

• School: University of Melbourne
• Department: Business Law
• Course: BLAW10001
• Professor: Dr Tanya Josev

Document Summary

The historical origins of australian law: prior to the arrival of europeans in australia, aboriginal law and customs applied in. Law is dynamic rather than static it is constantly changing. Australian law as developed as legal system distinct from english law: the changes that are made to a nations laws tend to be changes of detail rather than the wholesale adoption of fundamentally different principles. The legal system of a country therefore tends to retain its basic principles and character, despite ongoing change. This explains why australian law still shares many similarities with other legal systems that are also based on english law. Legal change must be brought about by a body with a recognised law-making power. Law-making bodies in australia: there are two major bodies in australia with law-making powers. They are: the courts, legislatures and local government councils, and government ministers and officials with specific powers. In this lecture, the focus is on law made by australian legislatures.