Quote:
Originally Posted by pressld2  No, no, no! The NT are being very clear on this - if you breach their bye-laws you are committing a criminal offence. They have the same powers to create bye-laws on their land as local councils do on theirs and breach of said bye-laws is a criminal offence, not a civil one. |
That sounds highly unlikely!
I thought criminal laws needed to be introduced into the statute book through an act of Parliament. I wouldn't think a qango like the NT could create their own laws, to be tried by a jury in a high court and punishable by a prison sentence.
My understanding is that a 'crime' is an offence against the Crown and enforceable by the police. A infringement of a bylaw is an offence against (say) a local authority and is of no concern to the police.
I'll ask my daughter next time I see her, she's an experienced lawyer - but I expect that as usual I won't get a straight answer from her!
Jim