People can only be punished in accordance with the law Return to Principles It is better for the law to rule than one of the citizens … so even the guardians of the laws are obeying the laws. – Aristotle The law must be sufficiently defined and government...
Laws Must be Made in an Open and Transparent Way by the People Return to Principles Laws must be made in an open and transparent way by the people as it gives members of society the right to participate in the creation of laws that regulate their behaviour and govern...
Fair and Prompt Trials Return to Principles All people have the right to a fair and prompt trial, on the basis that all citizens are considered equal before the law. A fair trial is a fundamental right that stops innocent people from being falsely convicted of a crime...
Open, Independent and Impartial Judiciary Return to Principles In our Australian system of government, we have a judiciary that is separated from the other arms of government (the executive and the legislature), based on a doctrine known as the separation of powers....
No One is Above the Law At its most basic level, the rule of law is the concept that both the government and citizens know the law and obey it. The phrase ‘equality before the law’ is often used in relation to the rule of law and means: the law should...
Model Litigant Rules Return to Principles Model litigant rules (obligations) are guidelines for how a government ought to behave before, during, and after litigation with another government body, a private company, or an individual. It is vital that government bodies...
