What responsibility do Australians have to follow the law (duty to contribute)?

The responsibility of Australians to follow the law is the basic duty that comes with citizenship and residence in Australia. It covers federal laws made by the Commonwealth Parliament, state and territory laws made by their respective parliaments, local laws made by councils, and the unwritten principles of common law developed by the courts.

Following the law has both a passive and an active dimension. The passive dimension is straightforward: do not break the laws that apply to you. Most Australians comply with most laws most of the time without thinking about it, paying taxes, driving within speed limits, registering vehicles, obeying traffic signals, respecting other people's property, and behaving with consideration in public. The active dimension involves taking part in the legal system when called on, including jury service, providing witness statements, paying taxes accurately, declaring income, and complying with court orders.

The duty to follow the law is enforced through several mechanisms. Police forces in each state and territory enforce criminal laws, supported by the Australian Federal Police for federal offences. State and federal regulators (ASIC, ACCC, ATO, Fair Work Ombudsman, environment protection authorities, food safety agencies) enforce particular regulatory regimes. Courts hear prosecutions and civil claims, with magistrates' courts handling the bulk of minor matters and higher courts hearing serious cases. Penalties range from on-the-spot fines for minor offences to long prison terms for serious crimes.

The duty is not unconditional. Australians can lawfully challenge a law they believe is unjust through the political process: by voting, joining parties, writing to representatives, signing petitions, attending protests, and (in some cases) bringing constitutional challenges in the High Court. Civil disobedience, breaking an unjust law to draw attention to it, has a long Australian history from the Eureka Stockade in 1854 to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy from 1972 onwards to climate protests in the 2020s. Civil disobedients still face the legal consequences of breaking the law, but the right to publicise injustice through such means is an accepted part of Australian democratic tradition.