local councils, statutory authorities or government departments. Usually, this is done in respect of minor statute laws such as road rules. Most statutes are applied by administrative decision makers rather than judges. When laws are brought before a court, judges are not bound to select an interpretation proffered by one of the parties and instead their role is to seek an objective interpretation of the law. The jurisprudence of statutory interpretation is not settled in Australia. Interpretive doctrines such as the literal rule, the golden rule, and the mischief rule; must comply with the Commonwealth's mandate in the Acts Interpretation Act that statutes be interpreted according to their purpose. The legitimate role of extrinsic materials is not settled law in Australia. Common law Australia's common law system originated in the system of common law in the UK. Although similarities remain, and the influence of UK common law decisions remain influential on Australian courts; there exists substantial divergence between each system. Until 1963, the High Court regarded decisions of the House of Lords binding, and there was substantial uniformity between Australian and English common law. In 1978, the High Court declared that it was no longer bound by decisions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The High Court has declared that Australia's system of common law is uniform across all states. This may be contrasted with other jurisdictions, like the United States; that have maintained distinct systems of common law within each state. International law Australia has entered into many treaties. Treaties are not automatically incorporated into Australian domestic law upon signature or ratification (aside from those terminating a state of war). The role of treaties in influencing the development of the common law is controversial. The text within a treaty is a valid interpretive aid to an act which attempts to give effect to that treaty. By reliance on the external affairs power, matters subject of a treaty may be legislated upon by the Commonwealth Parliament; even in the absence of the matter among other the heads of power. See also Law of the United Kingdom Law of the United States References Further reading Rosemary Barry, ed. The Law Handbook. Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 2007. John Carvan. Understanding the Australian Legal System. Sydney: Lawbook Co., 2002. Justin T. Gleeson, Ruth C. A. Higgins & Elisabeth Peden, eds. Historical foundations of Australian law. Annandale: Federation Press, 2013. External