Sources of Law in Australia

澳大利亚法律的来源

The Two Main Sources of Law

两个主要法律来源

Australia's legal rules come from two main sources:

澳大利亚的法律规则来自两个主要来源：

1. Parliament-Made Law

议会制定的法律

Also called: Statute law, Legislation, Acts of Parliament, Enacted law

也称为：成文法，立法，议会法案，已制定法律

2. Court-Made Law

法院制定的法律

Also called: Common law, Case law, Precedent, Unenacted law

也称为：普通法，判例法，先例，未制定法律

Parliament-Made Law

议会制定的法律

What Is It? (这是什么？)

Laws written and passed by elected representatives in Parliament.

由议会中选举产生的代表制定和通过的书面法律。

How It Works (它如何运作)

  1. A bill (proposed law) is introduced to Parliament
  2. Parliament debates and possibly amends the bill
  3. If passed, it becomes an Act of Parliament (statute)
  4. The law is now enforceable
  1. 一项法案（拟议法律）被提交给议会
  2. 议会辩论并可能修改法案
  3. 如果通过，它成为议会法案（法规）
  4. 法律现在可以执行

Example (例子)

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 is a statute that protects consumers from unfair business practices.

2010年竞争与消费者法是一项保护消费者免受不公平商业行为侵害的法规。

Advantages (优点)

  • Created by elected representatives (democratic)
  • Can be comprehensive and detailed
  • Can be created quickly to address new issues
  • 由民选代表创建（民主）
  • 可以全面且详细
  • 可以快速创建以解决新问题

Limitations (局限性)

  • Cannot cover every possible situation
  • May become outdated as society changes
  • May be ambiguous and require interpretation
  • 无法涵盖每一种可能的情况
  • 随着社会变化可能过时
  • 可能含糊不清需要解释

Court-Made Law

法院制定的法律

What Is It? (这是什么？)

Laws developed by judges when they make decisions in court cases.

法官在审理法庭案件时制定的法律。

How It Works (它如何运作)

  1. When a case comes to court, the judge examines the facts
  2. If there's no clear statute law that applies, the judge makes a decision
  3. This decision becomes a precedent for similar future cases
  4. Over time, a consistent body of case law develops
  1. 当案件来到法庭时，法官审查事实
  2. 如果没有明确适用的成文法，法官做出决定
  3. 这一决定成为类似未来案件的先例
  4. 随着时间推移，形成一致的判例法体系

Example (例子)

The landmark case Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] established the modern concept of negligence in Australia when a woman found a decomposed snail in her ginger beer bottle.

具有里程碑意义的案例Donoghue诉Stevenson [1932]确立了澳大利亚现代过失概念，当时一名女子在她的姜汁啤酒瓶中发现了一只腐烂的蜗牛。

Advantages (优点)

  • Flexible and adapts to new situations
  • Based on real cases and practical problems
  • Develops gradually with societal changes
  • 灵活且能适应新情况
  • 基于真实案例和实际问题
  • 随着社会变化逐渐发展

Limitations (局限性)

  • Can develop slowly
  • May be inconsistent between different courts
  • Less accessible to the public than statute law
  • 发展可能缓慢
  • 不同法院之间可能不一致
  • 比成文法对公众来说不太容易获取

Think of it this way... (通俗理解...)

Parliament-Made Law is like a Recipe Book (议会制定的法律就像菜谱书)

  • Clear instructions written down in advance
  • Anyone can read and follow them
  • But might not cover every possible cooking problem
  • 事先写下的明确说明
  • 任何人都可以阅读并遵循
  • 但可能无法涵盖每一个可能的烹饪问题

Court-Made Law is like Learning to Cook from a Master Chef (法院制定的法律就像向大厨学习烹饪)

  • Solutions develop as problems arise
  • Based on experience and what works in practice
  • Knowledge builds up over time through many different situations
  • 随着问题出现而发展解决方案
  • 基于经验和实践中行之有效的方法
  • 知识通过许多不同情况随时间积累

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)