Laws
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This explainer outlines what laws are, why societies need them, and how they protect rights, ensure safety and guide behaviour. It explains how parliaments make statute law, how courts develop common law through precedent, and how different types of law—criminal, civil, administrative and constitutional—operate within Australia’s rule‑of‑law framework.
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This explainer outlines the difference between rules and laws, showing how laws are created, enforced and applied to protect rights, maintain order and keep communities safe. It helps students understand why societies need laws, how they guide behaviour and how the rule of law ensures fairness and accountability.
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This explainer outlines the key features that make laws effective, including clarity, consistency, enforceability and fairness. It shows how well‑designed laws protect rights, guide behaviour and support the rule of law by being known, stable and applied equally to everyone.
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This explainer outlines how Australian hate‑speech laws work, including the limits on free expression, the protections against vilification, and the role of courts and human rights bodies in resolving complaints. It highlights how the law balances freedom of speech with safeguarding individuals and communities from harm.
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This explainer outlines how the first five Governors of New South Wales—Arthur Phillip, John Hunter, Philip Gidley‑King, William Bligh, and Lachlan Macquarie—worked to build a functioning colony from a population of transported convicts. It highlights their efforts to apply fairness, justice, and emerging ideas about individual rights while managing a settlement that began as a prison. It also provides context on Britain’s overcrowded prisons, the shift to transporting convicts to Australia, and the role of the Charter of Justice in shaping early governance.
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This explainer outlines Arthur Phillip’s leadership of the First Fleet, his establishment of British law in the new colony, and his efforts to ensure survival, fairness, and stability while navigating conflict with military officers and tensions with Indigenous peoples.
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This explainer highlights William Bligh’s brief, turbulent governorship, focusing on his attempts to break the New South Wales Corps’ control over trade, end the rum economy, and support struggling farmers. His reforms provoked the Corps, leading to the Rum Rebellion and his arrest, though he was later cleared. Despite lasting controversy, his actions helped re‑establish lawful authority in the colony.
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This explainer shows how Lachlan Macquarie stabilised New South Wales by restoring law and order, redirecting convict labour to public works, and supporting emancipists. It highlights his major building program with Francis Greenway, the introduction of official currency, and reforms that helped shift the colony toward a free, organised society. It also notes how opposition from wealthy settlers and the Bigge Inquiry forced his resignation, even though his leadership laid foundations for future self‑government.
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This explainer outlines how John Hunter struggled to regain control of New South Wales after years of unchecked power by the New South Wales Corps. It highlights the Corps’ corruption, its dominance over trade and law, and the obstacles Hunter faced as they blocked information and undermined his authority. Despite being recalled to England over false accusations, his reputation was later restored, and his writings became valuable records of early colonial life.
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This explainer outlines how Philip Gidley‑King worked to strengthen and expand the colony between 1800 and 1806. It highlights his efforts to build the economy through coal, whaling, and farming, his support for emancipists, and his push for fair opportunity. It also shows how constant resistance from the New South Wales Corps—especially John Macarthur—undermined his authority, eventually damaging his reputation and forcing his resignation.
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This explainer shows how Lord Sydney, Thomas Townshend, shaped the principles that guided the founding of New South Wales. It outlines why he adopted the name Sydney in honour of Algernon Sidney, whose ideas about liberty, equality, and the rule of law deeply influenced him. It also highlights his key decisions as Home Secretary: choosing Arthur Phillip as governor, creating the First Charter of Justice, and ensuring the new colony offered convicts the chance for rights, reform, and eventual freedom.
Governor Lachlan Macquarie
1810 - 1821
Lachlan Macquarie was appointed the fifth and last autocratic Governor of New South Wales on 1 January 1810 – 1 December 1821.
Previous governors struggled to control the New South Wales Corps. Macquarie’s role was to stabilise the colony by re-establishing law and order. Immediately after he arrived, Macquarie replaced the Corps with an army regiment and redirected convict labour away from private assignments back to government work tasks. He regained control over government stores and provided opportunities for emancipists by employing them for administration positions. Macquarie personally appointed all civil officials. Members of the Corps were sent back to England. Macquarie soon found himself battling another group, known as ‘The Exclusives’, consisting of wealthy free settlers, who were often ex-members of the Corps, including John Macarthur.
Macquarie embarked on ambitious public works program, engaging the skills of an emancipist who was sent to the colony for forgery, Francis Greenway. Together, they built churches, schools, and court houses. Greenway’s influence can be seen today in Sydney’s building architecture, such as the Conservatorium of Music (formerly the Governor’s Stables), State Parliament House (the Rum Hospital), St Andrew’s Cathedral, Hyde Park Barracks, and even the lighthouse at South Head. Many of the colony’s most impressive buildings are located along Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Macquarie cleaned up existing areas by naming and straightening main roads and by the end of his governorship, the colony had gained around two hundred main buildings and construction of 480 kilometres of road.
The Bank of New South Wales was established and official currency was introduced in 1817 to stabilise all financial trade, eliminating any influence left from trading rum. A post office was commissioned, and standard weights and measurements were introduced.
Macquarie was ultimately brought down by the Exclusives who constantly challenged his reforms and issued complaints to the British Government, which was also unhappy with him for spending government money on ‘lavish’ public works.
An English judge, John Bigge was appointed to examine Macquarie’s administration. His final report was damning and criticised many reforms that Macquarie had implemented. Bigge supported the wealthy settler’s claims and this caused Macquarie to resign. He returned to Scotland, exhausted and worn out. He died in 1824, while in London defending his actions against John Bigge.
Macquarie crucially influenced the transition of New South Wales from a penal colony towards becoming a free and ordered settlement. Whilst the Bigge Inquiry failed to understand the challenges of managing the colony, its recommendation to set up a legislative body to administer colonial affairs was the first step towards placing power in the hands of the people.
In 1824, the New South Wales Legislative Council was formed to advise the governor of the peoples’ interests in the colony’s development.
Fun Facts
Lachlan Macquarie was a Royal Army Officer, reaching the rank of Major General
Macquarie was born 1761 on the tiny island of Ulva in the Scottish Hebrides
In 1814, the Second Charter of Justice established the Governor’s Court, the Lieutenant-Governor’s Court, and the Supreme Court
Macquarie cleaned the freshwater supply up by forbidding people to wash their clothes in the Tank Stream
Macquarie was the first to order all traffic on the roads to keep left
When Macquarie established and named Hyde Park, the farmers who grazed their pigs there were most annoyed
Places named in honour of Governor Macquarie include: Port Macquarie, Macquarie River, Macquarie Pass, Macquarie Island, Macquarie Place, Macquarie Fields, Macquarie Lighthouse, Macquarie Street (Sydney)
Related Resources
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This explainer highlights William Bligh’s brief, turbulent governorship, focusing on his attempts to break the New South Wales Corps’ control over trade, end the rum economy, and support struggling farmers. His reforms provoked the Corps, leading to the Rum Rebellion and his arrest, though he was later cleared. Despite lasting controversy, his actions helped re‑establish lawful authority in the colony.
-
This explainer outlines how the first five Governors of New South Wales—Arthur Phillip, John Hunter, Philip Gidley‑King, William Bligh, and Lachlan Macquarie—worked to build a functioning colony from a population of transported convicts. It highlights their efforts to apply fairness, justice, and emerging ideas about individual rights while managing a settlement that began as a prison. It also provides context on Britain’s overcrowded prisons, the shift to transporting convicts to Australia, and the role of the Charter of Justice in shaping early governance.
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