Parliament Regulate Society

Name: Daniel Byrden
Student Number: 216133664
Word Count:

Business Law
Short Essay Questions:
‘How does the parliament regulate the conduct of society, particularly with reference to business transactions and interactions? Discuss the extent to which the morals and values of a society influence and underpin the content of these legal rules.’

Parliament is responsible for creating laws that reflect the values and opinions of the community and to provide a framework where business are able to be competitive in the marketplace. Laws need to change or the creation of new laws needs to be made in order to maintain social cohesion, these laws must reflect the needs and values of society. These social,
Parliament can change the law as the need arises, and can respond to events, changes in technology or changes in the views and values of society. The Fair Work Act 2009 and Competition and Consumer Act 2010 underpin this, both were conceived to reflect moral and economic values of Australian society. Laws need to change because of economic changes, and changes in the nature of business interactions and transactions. The introduction of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 was to enhance the welfare of Australians through the promotion of competition and fair trading with the provision for customer protection. Changes in the nature of businesses production and selling of goods have resulted in the need for more protection for consumers. Competition and Consumer Act protect consumer rights so consumers are treated fairly and equally. Fifty years ago, if you wanted to buy a good or service you would most likely pay cash. Today consumers have the option to use electronic credit or payment facilities. Both the state and federal parliaments have passed laws to regulate electronic transactions. These laws stated above reflect the changing nature of industry and trade. The rise in technological changes has created growth in business particularly via e-commerce, this introduces new questions about the need for change in law in relation to customer protection, internet banking and taxation.
When comparing two different cultures such as Australia and the United States they can have quite different laws. An example of this is the compulsory wearing of bicycle helmets for cyclists, as wearing a helmet can minimise harm. This is generally recognised throughout the community as a justifiable intrusion of personal liberty. However, in the United States there are currently only 21 states with compulsory bicycle helmet laws, even though the positive effect of wearing a helmet is recognised there is strong resistance from the community. This resistance from the American people reflect a different community attitude to the role of government. That is the government should not pass laws that interfere with personal liberty, it is their personal right to decide to wear a helmet. Different cultures have different laws because the morals and values of a society are particular to how they were raised, this results in the acceptance of a law or