Aboriginal customary law and the common law THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE BRUCE DEBELLE

When the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Harbour in January 1788, the Aborigines had been living in Australia for more than 40,000 years. To the new settlers, the Aboriginal inhabitants of Australia appeared primitive. They had few possessions, no pottery, iron or bronze, no large houses and no tall monuments. But the Aborigines had a society and culture of considerable complexity and diversity. The long cultural heritage of the Aborigines included means by which order was maintained and disputes resolved.