On 2 April 1787, King George III signed Letters Patent, known as the First Charter of Justice, to bring the rule of law to this land. This has lasted, uninterrupted, to this day.
This provided the authority for the establishment of the first New South Wales Courts of Criminal and Civil Jurisdiction.
This meant that even in this penal colony the rule of law prevailed the moment the first Governor, Captain (later Admiral) Arthur Phillip RN set foot on Australian land.