Subjects
Subscribe
Search Skwirk
Year 9 NSW
»
Commerce
»
Law and society
»
Areas of law
Topic : Areas of law
In this topic you will learn...
Chapter 1 :
Criminal law and civil law
In Australia the legal system is divided up into general areas of criminal and civil law
Criminal law involves the State punishing people for acts such as murder assault, or theft
Civil law cases involve relations between private individuals in society
Criminal law offences are divided into 'summary' and 'indictable' offences
Some offences have both criminal and civil elements, for example in the overlap between murder and wrongful death
Chapter 2 :
Sources of law
The Commonwealth Constitution is the fundamental document of empowerment in the Australian political and legal systems
The two principal sources of law in Australia are `case law` made by the courts and `legislation` made by the government
Judges publish their decisions, including the reason for the decision, in Law Reports. Other judges consult these Reports and use them as precedents for deciding their own cases
The government creates a law by proposing a Bill in parliament and having it pass both Houses and approved by the executive branch of the government
Other sources of law include international law and Aboriginal customary law
Chapter 3 :
How a bill becomes a statute
Laws are made by a process of proposal and debate across the two Houses of federal or State parliament
A Bill is a proposal for a law or a change to the law. It is presented to the Upper or Lower House by a Member of Parliament
Suggestions for proposed Bills can come from a number of sources including Cabinet, individual Members of Parliament or other interest groups
In each House, the Bill goes through a First, Second and Third Reading
Bills only become laws once they are assented to by the State Governor or Governor-General
Topic Summary
Audio Summary
Play
|
Download
Text Summary
This topic includes
2 colour images
2 flash animations
1 final exam
ToolBox
Increase text size
Print this page
EMPTY?