One Law for All?: Aboriginal People and Criminal Law in Early South Australia

Synopsis

In the planned colony of South Australia, Aboriginal people were to be British subjects, held accountable for their actions by English law and fully entitled to its protection. The reality, however, failed to meet the high expectations of London’s reformers as British law struggled to protect the settlers’ interests and failed to protect Aboriginal lives and birthrights. Revealing the efforts made by the judiciary to apply the legal equality policy as well as the frustrations of the Aborigines as they coped with the invasion of their lands, this account paints a clear picture of the South Australian frontier.