This article details the development of the Bushranging Act of 1830 and the Vagrancy Act of 1835, and how each were designed to control the conduct of various different groups making up the colony of New South Wales as it moved away from its penal roots, including controlling the interactions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

Meg Foster, 'Protecting the colony from its people: bushranging, vagrancy, and social control in colonial New South Wales' (2022) 40 Law and History Review 655

Consorting laws make it a crime to associate with people who have criminal records or who are perceived as threats to public safety. These laws aim to control public behaviour and purport to prevent crime. In practice, the enforcement of consorting laws has disproportionately impacted upon Aboriginal people.