Week 1 - Law government and criminal justice Flashcards
What is law?
Body of formalised rules that regulate people’s behaviours
Why is law important?
It helps society function. It tells us the values and morals of a society
What is defence?
An argument that a person is not guilty of a charged crime
What is Australia’s founding legal document called?
The Constitution
What are the two main sources of law in Australia?
Legislation and Case Law/Common Law
What is Legislation?
A document containing rules that have been debated, voted on and approved by parliament . Tells us what rules are on a certain topic
How is legislation made?
Presented as a Bill and and needs to go through 3 reading processes and approved by both houses of parliament
What does a bicameral parliament mean? And what states and Territories are not bicameral?
A parliament with two houses e.g senate and HoR
QLD, NT and ACT unicameral
What is a Bill?
A proposal for legislation - a draft of the final version
What are the two houses of parliament? and which is the upper and lower house?
House of Representative the Lower House
Senate the Upper House
How many member in the house of representative?
151
How many members in the senate?
76
How many readings does a Bill need to go through before it will become law?
3 by each house of parliament
What is Case Law/Common Law?
Documents issued by courts that contain the judges reasoning on an individual case
Why is precedent important?
provides consistency and fairness
