Understanding Australia’s legal system: laws, courts and accessing assistance

Equality before the law and fairness are two of the basic principles observed in the Australian legal system. Credit: Moment RF / Rae Allen/Getty Images

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Are you familiar with Australia’s legal system? As a federation of six states and two territories, Australia has laws that apply nationally, as well as laws specific to each jurisdiction. Additionally, there are parallel structures of federal and state courts. Learn the basics of how the legal system works, from understanding Australian laws to accessing legal assistance.

Key Points

The different types of law that govern Australia are statute law made by parliament, delegated law made by government, and common law made by courts.
Our legal system with two parallel sets of legislation and courts, reflects the fact the Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of states and territories.
There are various options for accessing legal advice and support, regardless of your financial circumstances.