Australian Legal System Overview

澳大利亚法律体系概述

What is Law? (什么是法律？)

Definition (定义)

"Law is a system of rules that operate in our society to regulate, control and influence behavior."
"法律是在我们社会中运行的规则系统，用以规范、控制和影响行为。"

Purpose of Law (法律的目的)

  • To regulate individual behavior for society's benefit
  • To exclude arbitrary power
  • To provide a system for settling disputes
  • To determine rights, duties, and obligations of people
  • 为了社会的利益而规范个人行为
  • 排除专断的权力
  • 提供解决争端的系统
  • 确定人们的权利、责任和义务

Origin of Australian Law (澳大利亚法律的起源)

Australia inherited its legal system from England. The Australian legal system is based on the common law tradition.

澳大利亚从英国继承了其法律体系。澳大利亚的法律体系基于普通法传统。

Common Law System vs. Civil Law System (普通法系统与民法系统)

Common Law System (普通法系统) Civil Law System (民法系统)
Found in Australia, UK, USA, Canada Found in Continental Europe, Latin America, parts of Asia
Relies heavily on precedent (case law) Based primarily on comprehensive written codes
Judges play a role in developing law Less reliance on judicial precedent
More flexible and adaptable More structured and systematic

Australia follows the Common Law System.

澳大利亚遵循普通法系统。

Think of it this way... (通俗理解...)

Imagine Law as Traffic Rules (把法律想象成交通规则)

  • Parliament: Creates the basic traffic rules (like speed limits)
  • Courts: Decide how rules apply in specific situations
  • Executive: Police officers who enforce the rules

When there's an accident (dispute), we need clear rules to decide who was at fault. These rules come from two sources:

  1. Traffic signs and written rules (statute law)
  2. Previous decisions about similar accidents (common law)
  • 议会：制定基本交通规则（如限速）
  • 法院：决定如何在特定情况下应用规则
  • 行政：执行规则的警察

当发生事故（争议）时，我们需要明确的规则来决定谁有过错。这些规则来自两个来源：

  1. 交通标志和书面规则（成文法）
  2. 关于类似事故的以往决定（普通法）

Real-Life Example (生活例子):

Imagine your friend borrows your phone and breaks it:

  • Civil law helps you get compensation from your friend
  • Criminal law would apply if your friend stole your phone instead of borrowing it

想象一下你的朋友借走你的手机并将其弄坏：

  • 民法帮助你从朋友那里获得赔偿
  • 刑法适用于如果你的朋友偷走而不是借走你的手机

Key Differences to Remember (需要记住的关键区别)

Civil Law vs. Criminal Law (民法与刑法)

Civil Law (民法) Criminal Law (刑法)
Disputes between individuals/organizations Offenses against the state/society
Example: Contract disputes, property damage Example: Theft, assault, murder
Remedy: Compensation, specific performance Remedy: Fines, imprisonment
Burden of proof: Balance of probabilities Burden of proof: Beyond reasonable doubt
Parties: Plaintiff vs. Defendant Parties: Crown/Prosecution vs. Accused

Common Law vs. Equity (普通法与衡平法)

Common Law (普通法) Equity (衡平法)
Traditional remedy: Damages (money) More flexible remedies like injunctions
Strict application of legal rules Based on principles of fairness
Developed in King's courts Developed in Chancellor's courts
Follows precedent strictly Can be more flexible for justice

Equity Example (衡平法例子):

If someone is building a wall that blocks your sunlight, common law might only give you money as compensation. Equity can order them to stop building the wall (an injunction).

如果有人正在建造一堵墙挡住了你的阳光，普通法可能只会给你钱作为补偿。衡平法可以命令他们停止建造墙壁（禁令）。

Today, common law and equity are fused and administered by the same court system. But their principles remain distinct.

今天，普通法和衡平法已经融合在一起，由同一法院系统管理。但它们的原则仍然不同。

Business Law Context (商法语境)

Business Law is the set of rules that control and preserve economic and commercial activities in Australia. It determines:

  • Rights of business owners and customers
  • Duties of businesses toward society
  • Obligations between businesses and their partners

商法是控制和保护澳大利亚经济和商业活动的一套规则。它确定了：

  • 企业主和顾客的权利
  • 企业对社会的责任
  • 企业与其合作伙伴之间的义务

Historical Development (历史发展)

Common Law Development (普通法的发展)

Common law originated in medieval England after the Norman Conquest (1066). Judges traveled throughout the country hearing cases and gradually developed consistent principles that became "common" to all England.

普通法起源于诺曼征服（1066年）后的中世纪英格兰。法官在全国各地审理案件，逐渐发展出适用于整个英格兰的一致原则。

Equity Development (衡平法的发展)

  • Equity developed because common law was sometimes too rigid
  • People petitioned the King for fairness when common law remedies were inadequate
  • The King delegated these petitions to his Chancellor
  • Eventually, a separate court system (Court of Chancery) developed
  • 衡平法的发展是因为普通法有时过于僵化
  • 当普通法救济不足时，人们请求国王给予公平
  • 国王将这些请愿委托给他的大臣
  • 最终，形成了一个独立的法院系统（大法官法院）

Modern Fusion (现代融合)

Today, both common law and equity are administered by the same courts in Australia. The principles of both systems continue to influence Australian law.

如今，普通法和衡平法都由澳大利亚的同一法院系统管理。两种系统的原则继续影响着澳大利亚法律。

The Relationship Between Statute Law and Common Law (成文法与普通法的关系)

Hierarchy (层级关系)

  • Statute law generally overrides common law
  • Courts interpret statutes when their meaning is unclear
  • Common law fills gaps where no statute exists
  • 成文法一般优先于普通法
  • 当法规含义不明确时，法院会进行解释
  • 普通法填补没有法规存在的空白

Interpretation Example (解释示例)

If Parliament passes a law about online shopping, but doesn't define what "delivery" means in the digital context, courts might need to interpret this through case decisions.

如果议会通过了一项关于网上购物的法律，但没有定义数字环境中"交付"的含义，法院可能需要通过案例决定来解释这一点。

Summary Table (总结表)

Feature Statute Law (成文法) Common Law (普通法)
Source Parliament (议会) Courts (法院)
Form Written Acts (书面法案) Judicial decisions (司法判决)
Creation process Voting by elected representatives (民选代表投票) Judges resolving individual cases (法官解决个案)
Change process Amendment by Parliament (议会修订) New decisions by higher courts (高等法院新判决)
Flexibility Less flexible (较不灵活) More flexible (更灵活)
Clarity Usually clearer (通常更清晰) Can be less clear (可能不太清晰)