The term capital punishment is derived from the Latin caput, meaning "head". It originally referred to death by decapitation, but now applies generally to state authorized executions. Crimes occur in every society around the world. Historically, criminals convicted of these crimes were dealt with in different ways, some of which are sentenced to death. Capital punishment has been banned in most western countries, although, countries like the United States, despite earlier attempts to eliminate capital punishment have now had an increased amount of support from several states, in the use of capital punishment for serious offenses such as murder. Capital punishment is and always has been one of the most debated topics among people, some believe it should be eliminated whereas others believe it should be re-introduced or kept. The issues regarding the death penalty are so intense, that many people are still not able to make a clear decision on the matter. The main reason for this is that it is a sensitive issue which is debated on many occasions through personal belief or in highly morally vulnerable circumstances. In my opinion capital punishment is cruel and unusual. It is ethically and morally wrong. It is fallible; it is applied arbitrarily, and is discriminative. Capital punishment is viewed by many as the most fundamental human rights violation. The right to live. Following in this report will be the laws and regulations that have been applied to abolish this act in Australia and also some of the debates, history, effects, and opinions on this very sensitive subject.
Australia, along with many countries worldwide, abolished capital punishment by 1985. According to the Institute of Criminology, Queensland was the first state to abolish capital punishment in Australia, in 1922, followed by New South Wales in 1955, Tasmania in 1968, ACT in 1973, Northern Territory in 1973, Victoria in 1975, South Australia in 1976 and finally Western Australia in 1984.