Description: Exploring the history, legislation and case law of Van Diemen's Land and Tasmania
Loose connections is a leisurely ramble through the vellum and parchment pages of Tasmanian legislation, along with case law. It is always open to wandering off into the tangled undergrowth of all things Tasmanian.
There is an eventual destination: overseeing the transfer of the official copies of Tasmanian legislation from 1833 to 2013 to the Tasmanian Archives and Heritage Office. Along the way we will meet a motley crew from all walks of life – judges, legislators, officials, farmers, shopkeepers, mariners, free settlers, convicts and the first peoples of this island state. I hope you will enjoy the journey, even if you only pop in for brief catch-ups along the track
In 1819 Thomas Bigge had been sent to New South Wales by Lord Bathurst to examine the effectiveness of transportation as a deterrent to felons. He was to investigate all aspects of the operation of the Colony, including the judicial system. Bigge spent 18 months gathering evidence in the Colony and on returning to England in 1821 wrote three Reports which were presented to Parliament. The second report, The Judicial Establishments of New South Wales and of Van Diemen’s Land , was published on 21 February