What do Yarrabah, Balladonia, Hobart and Canberra have in common? They are all places on the new Rule of Law Exploring Democracy trail which traces the development of Australia’s court system, and maps places associated with landmark High Court decisions. Australian democracy is underpinned by the rule of law, which means that all Australians are protected by the law and have access to the courts for justice. The rule of law also ensures that no-one is above the law, including the rulers.

By looking at 29 sites and landmark law cases, the Rule of Law trail explores the history of the rule of law in Australia. It traces the development of Australia’s court system, and maps places associated with landmark High Court decisions such as Wik and Mabo. It looks at the creation of all of the major courts of the land, such as the Supreme Court of New South Wales, established in 1824 and head quarters of the High Court of Australia from 1903 until 1928. It looks at martial law in Van Diemen’s Land, John Batman’s famous ‘treaty’ with Aboriginal elders in the Port Phillip Bay area in 1835, and important cases like the Sufficient Wage case of 1907, the Engineers’ Case of 1920 and the Communist Party case of 1951.

This is an important new resource for schools and individuals interested in the history of the rule of law in Australia, illustrated with images of places and some of the key people involved in landmark judgements.