Reference: History – Captain James Cook
If we want to understand Australia’s success as a modern nation, as one of the world’s oldest continuous democracies, we must look back to the origins of our institutions. Civil society, liberal democracy, constitutional government, the rule of law and individual rights are all essential features of our free society.
Institutions provide an important foundation for a society to attain its full potential. They are a legacy to this generation, passed down by those who have sought freedom of conscience, religion, speech, and the right to participate in politics and public debate.
As part of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program, the Institute of Public Affairs has produced a series of videos. The most recent addition to the series is “How the Enlightenment came to Australia.”
Just six months after the arrival of the First Fleet in Botany Bay in 1788, one event in particular demonstrates just how important the concept of the rule of law was to the British founders of the colony of New South Wales. This is the remarkable story of two convicts, a ship’s captain and a missing package.
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