LAW1100 Lecture 1 notes 01.docx

LAW1100 Lecture 1 notes 01.docx

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LAW1100Lecture1notes01

EdithCowanUniversity

2011

LEGALFRAMEWORKI

LECTURENOTES

Notetoreader:

theselecturenotesarecompiledforthepurposesoftheunitLAW1100LegalFrameworkIandareselectiveinnatureandscope.Thenotesareforacademicpurposesonly.

Lecture1

AnIntroductiontoLaw:

Historicalbackground,andtheAustralianLegalSystem

INTRODUCTION

LegalFrameworkisaboutthelegalframeworkofbusiness:

thatis,thelegalstructurewithinwhichcommercialdecisionsaremade.Accordingly,theunitseekstointroducestudentstothelegalandbusinessframeworkwithinwhichfinancialandassociateddecisionsaremade,andtofosteranawarenessandbasicknowledgeoflegalissuestoprovideasolidfoundationforfurtherstudyinbusiness.AsLegalFrameworkisanintroductoryunit,thesubjectmatterconsideredthroughoutisofaselectivenature,andanumberofaspectsofbusinesslaw（suchasthelawsofagency,trusts,taxation,insurance,propertylawandtheconsiderableregimeofstatutoryregulationswhichaffectsbusinesspractitioners,suchasoccupationalsafetyandhealthlaws）arenotconsidered.Forthosewishingtodofurtherstudyinbusinesslaw,manyofthesesubjectareasaredealtwithinlaterBusinessLawunits.Additionally,withintheselectedtopics,theunitmaterialemphasizescorelegalprinciplesandstructuresrelevanttobusinesswithoutgettingintounnecessarycomplexity.Hence,inkeepingwiththeintroductoryaimsoftheunit,muchofthediscussioniscondensedandsimplified.Nonetheless,whenyouhavecompletedthisunit,youshouldbeableto:

∙discussthekeyelementsoftheAustralianlegalsystem

∙identifytheimportantsourcesoflaw

∙describetheessentials,operationandremediesofthelawofContractandNegligence

∙understandthekeyfeaturesofbusinessorganisations,andthebasicrightsandliabilitiesofbusinessproprietors

∙explaintheimportantaspectsofStateandFederalconsumerlegislation

∙understandthebasicsoftheAustralianConstitution

∙applytheknowledgeoftheabovelegaltopicsinansweringtheoreticalandproblemtypequestionsposedvariouslyintheassessments

Thisfirstlectureconsidersimportantfoundationalthemes.Inthefirstpartofthislecture,wewillconsiderthedefinitionoflaw,itsfunctionsandsomeofthewaysinwhichlawcanbeclassified.Aswewillsoonsee,lawisdevelopedintheParliamentsandtheCourts,andultimatelyenforcedintheCourts.Hence,inthesecondpart,weexaminethecourtsysteminAustraliainwhichlawsareenforcedandsometimescreated;additionally,thereisalsoanoverviewofParliamentsandsubordinatebodiesaslawmakingbodies.WewillconsiderParliamentsingreaterdetailinLecture12.

Onsuccessfulcompletionofthislecture,youshould（withinthescopeofthecourse）beableto:

∙define‘Law’

∙identifyanddescribethefunctionsoflaw

∙identifythewaysinwhichlawcanbeclassified,anddescribethefeaturesofanddifferencesbetweenthetypesoflawundereachclassification（bysubjectmatter,sourceandhistoricalorigin）

∙describetheAustralianCourtsystem,whichparticularreferencetotheWAcourthierarchy

∙haveabasicunderstandingofthecourtsatfederalandatWAstatelevels

∙recognisethedifferencebetweenatribunalandacourt

∙defineandunderstandtheconceptof‘jurisdiction’ofacourt,identifythewaysinwhichitcanbelimited,anddescribeinbasictermstheextentofthejurisdictionofthecourtsconsideredinthislecture

∙haveabasicunderstandingoftheinstitutionofParliament

∙haveabasicunderstandingof‘subordinatebodies’andtheirroleincreatinglaw

BACKGROUNDTOLAW

DEFINITIONOFLAW

Whilst‘Law’canbedefinedinanumberofways,thefollowingdefinitionisusefulforthepurposesofthisLegalFrameworkcourse:

“LawisthoserulesestablishedbyParliamentsand/ortheCourtswhicharerecognisedandenforced（withphysicalforceifnecessary）byCourtsofLaw.”

Asyouwillsoonsee,wewillregularlyreturntothekeyelementsofthisdefinitionthroughoutthiscourse.Fromthedefinition,welearnthatLawisasetofrulesfromtwoinstitutions,ParliamentsandtheCourts,andisimplementedandenforcedbytheCourts.LawmadebyParliamentsisenactedviatheParliamentaryprocessinvariousformsoflegislationandregulations.LawmadebyParliamentsiscalledstatutelaw.LawmadebytheCourtsisun-enacted,andconsistsofthebodyofimportantlegalprinciples,tests,rulesandguidelineshandeddownbythecourtsovermanyyearsinthejudgementsofcasesheard.LawmadebytheCourtsiscalledcaselaw.

ThedefinitionalsomentionstheuseofphysicalforcetoenforcetheLaw.Inmoderntimes,physicalforcecanincludetheseizureofgoodsandland（forexample,fornonpaymentoffinesorinenforcementofcourtjudgmentsandorders）,imprisonment（forexample,formoreseriousoffencessuchasassault,armedrobberyortheft）,anddeath（forexample,forwilfulmurder）.Althoughthedeathpenalty（thatis,capitalpunishment）andforthatmattercorporalpunishmentarenolongerusedinanyAustralianjurisdiction,theseformsofpunishmentarestillwidelyusedinanumberofothercountriesintheworld.

FUNCTIONSOFTHELAW

ThelawinAustraliacarriesoutanumberoffunctionsnecessaryforthemaintenanceofsociety.Forourpurposes,therearefourkeyfunctions.First,lawfunctionstomaintainorderinsociety.Here,thelawservestoprotectpersonsandproperty,suchasbydeterrenteffect.Second,thelawfunctionstomaintainbasicfreedoms,suchasbysafeguardingagainstarbitraryimprisonmentthroughlawsdealingwitharrest,trialandappealprocedures.Third,thelawfunctionstoprovideaframeworkofrulesforbusinessoperation.Here,thelawcanfacilitatetheconductofbusinessandcommercewithsomecertaintyofoutcomes.Finally,thelawfunctionstoprovideameansofdisputeresolution.Clearly,thesuccessfulconductofbusinesswouldbedoubtfuliflegalagreementswerenotenforceable.

Therehasbeenarelativelyrecenttrendtoresolvemanydisputesoutsideoftheordinarycourtsystemviaalternatedisputeresolutionprocedures,mediationandarbitration.Whilststrictlegalformalitiesinthesealternatemeansofdisputeresolutionareoftenrelaxed,theystilloperatewithinaframeworkoflawandlegalprinciples.

CLASSIFICATIONOFTHELAW

Clearly,aslawcoverssuchavastterritory,classificationoftheLawcanassistunderstandingit.Indeed,Lawcanbeclassifiedinanumberofways.Forourpurposesinthiscourse,wewillfocusonthreesuchimportantclassifications:

∙classificationbythesubjectmatterofthelaw,thatis,bywayofcivilandcriminallaw,

∙classificationbythesourceofthelaw,thatisbywayofcaseandstatutelaw,and

∙classificationbyhistoricaloriginofthelaw,thatisbywayofcommonlawandequity.

CriminalLaw–CivilLaw

Thisclassificationlookstothesubjectmatterofthelawandidentifiestwoimportantpartsofthelaw:

CriminalLawandCivilLaw.Thewidespreadnotionthat‘crimeandpunishment’occupymostofthelegalprofession’stimeandenergyisarguablyoverstated.Averyimportantpartofthesubjectmatterofthelaw,especiallyinbusiness,relatestocivilmatters.Asthiscourseisaboutthelegalframeworkofbusiness,ourdiscussioninthelectureswillbeprimarilyfocusedonCivilLaw.

CriminalLaw

LegalactionsunderCriminalLawcanbedistinguishedfromthoseunderCivilLawinthreekeyareas.First,acriminallawactioninvolvesthepublicenforcement（involvingpolice,prosecutors,judges,prisonsetc）bytheStateoflawsonbehalfofsocietyasawholeagainstindividuals.Thatis,itisaStatevPersonmatter.TheStateprosecutestheallegedwrongdoer（calledthedefendantortheaccused）.Theterm‘State’isusedheretomeanthegovernmentofasociety.Hence,itisapublicmatterwhichisnotuptoanyindividualtoenforce.Second,itisgovernedbyitsownspecialprocedures.Forexample,thestandardofproofofbeyondreasonabledoubtinprovingcasesisused,andjuriesareusedformoreseriousoffences.Further,theonusorburdenofprooftoprovetheguiltoftheallegedwrongdoerbelongstotheStateprosecutingauthority.Last,itsprincipalobjectispunishment.Punishmentisusuallyintheformoffinesandimprisonment,andnotcompensationtoanyparticularindividualforinjuryorlosssuffered.

CivilLaw

ActionsunderCivilLawcanbedistinguishedfromthoseunderCriminalLawasfollows.First,acivillawactioninvolvestheprivateenforcement（police,prosecutorsandprisonsarenotinvolved）ofone'sindividualrightsagainstanother.ItinvolvesaPersonvPersondisputeormatter.Hence,acivilactionisaprivatematter,atthecostandinstigationoftheindividual.Second,itisgovernedbyitsownspecialprocedures.Forexample,thestandardofproofisonthebalanceofprobabilities.Thisstandardislowerthanthecriminalstandard（ofbeyondreasonabledoubt）.Further,juriesaregenerallynotusedincivilcases,andtheonusofproofisontheplaintiff,theonewhoallegesthatthewrongdoer,knownasthedefendant,hascausedthemsomeloss.Last,itsprincipalobjectiscompensation.Successfulclaimsincivilactionsgenerallyinvolvethepaymentofasumofmoney（suchasforbreachofcontractorinjury）byoneindividualtoanother.

Bothcriminalandcivilliabilitycanariseoutofthesameincidentoract.Forexample,aspeedingdriverwhoknocksdownapedestrianonacrosswalkmaybeprosecutedbythepolicefordangerousdrivingcausinggrievousbodilyharm（acriminaloffenceresultinginsuspensionofdriver'slicenceandfine/impri