Australian constitutional law
[1.1] Constitutional law is the body of law about the structure, institutions and powers of government. The heart of constitutional law in the Australian federal system consists of the laws establishing the Commonwealth and the States, and the laws dividing public power between the Federal and State Parliaments, executive governments and courts. The laws of this body of law also include provisions guaranteeing rights and freedoms together with other prohibitions on the exercise of certain kinds of public power. The fundamental rules of Australian constitutional law are in written constitutions and other basic instruments of government which derive from a British legal heritage. Of these instruments and documents the Commonwealth Constitution is the most important and, although it is not the only constitution in force in Australia (there are also State and Territory constitutions), it is often referred to as the Australian Constitution, or where context makes the meaning plain, simply as the Constitution.