This guide from the Solicitor General sets out the role and duties of Magistrates and a summary of how to apply the law in different circumstances.

Plunkett, John, The Australian Magistrate; or, a Guide to the Duties of a Justice of the Peace for the Colony of New South Wales (Guideline, 1835)

Following the arrival of the British in 1788, English criminal law was imposed across the colony, although it was initially unclear whether it applied to Aboriginal people. Over time, Aboriginal people were subject to English law overriding and not recognising long-standing Aboriginal legal systems.

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Plunkett, John, The Australian Magistrate; or, a Guide to the Duties of a Justice of the Peace for the Colony of New South Wales (Guideline, 1835)

Application of criminal law to Aboriginal people