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In 1824, New South
Wales included the whole of the eastern half of Australia, as well as Van
Dieman's Land (now called Tasmania).
Sheriffs were
appointed in the colonies of Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania after their
separation from New South Wales, and also in the colonies of South
Australia and Western Australia. These colonies later became Australian
States, and there is now a Sheriff in every State of Australia.
Positions similar to
that of the Sheriff were created at a Commonwealth level in 1901 with the
introduction of the
Australian Constitution. The Constitution created the position of executive officer of the High Court of
Australia - called the office of the Marshal. Similar positions have been
created for the Federal Court of Australia and the Family Court of
Australia, although deputies normally carry out the day to day
responsibilities. These positions carry out the same functions as the
Sheriff's in each State.
The idea of deputising members of
the public to go after suspected criminals was carried on in colonial
America for many years. The head of the police service in many areas of
the United States of America are still called Sheriff to this day. Today,
Sheriffs in Australia play a very different role to the Sheriffs of
old.
History of the Office of the
Sheriff
The Sheriff in
Australia
The Sheriffs of the Colony and
State of New South Wales
Page Design
© Ian Hunter.
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