On 4 July 2025, the Terra Australis General Assembly convened its very first Grand Jury—an ourstoric milestone in ensuring lawful accountability on your Land and Soil.
This achievement was not reached lightly. It came after months of careful planning, collaboration, and the creation of a robust, repeatable process—one that your Local Assembly will now be able to follow confidently, should ever the need arise.
A Grand Jury is one of the cornerstones of administering Law. Its purpose is not to decide guilt or innocence, but to determine whether a claim should proceed to trial based on a review of the evidence.
The Grand Jury does not judge the accused; it only decides whether a claim should move forward.
The accuser may nominate a Lay Adviser to help prepare materials and guide them through testimony. The Lay Adviser may only speak for the accuser in rare cases where the accuser cannot give voice to their own claim.
Grand Juries for private matters are held in private, and anonymity may be used where necessary.
Public harm cases may be held openly or even televised, at the discretion of the Oversight Committee.
As no guilt is decided, the accused need not be present, and the outcome is based solely on the basis of evidence presented.
For Grand Jury findings to carry cross jurisdictional legitimacy it must follow a detailed step-by-step process that ensures:
Without such structure, we risk errors, bias, and procedural disputes that could undermine both confidence and outcomes.
Once the assemblies are fully operational, the procedure will provide for claims to be presented to the Ombudsman Committee for review and investigation. Criminal matters – that is where actual harm has been claimed - will be sent to the Oversight Committee (a sub-committee of the Ombudsman Committee) for detailed investigation leading to resolution.
The functions of the Ombudsman and Oversight Committees can be provided in house, or if the General Assembly (you) prefers, it can be outsourced to the Peace Keeping Task Force (PKTF) or some other provider.
The matter reviewed in this first Grand Jury was both complex and sensitive. For this reason, the PKTF was engaged to lead the investigation.
The PKTF brought the necessary independence, investigative skill, and thoroughness to ensure that the Grand Jury received complete, verified information. This also established a working model for how investigative and adjudicative functions can operate in cooperation within the Assembly.
The Grand Jury operates in private to protect the integrity of its work and maintain the presumption of innocence. This confidentiality is not about concealing the truth—it is about safeguarding:
Once we are in a position to conduct a trial, one will be conducted in line with Jural Assembly guidelines, community expectations, and the Law on Terra Australis.
Your governance structure is still being created and prepared for elections. Once the National Assembly (International Land jurisdiction) and a number of Local Assemblies (Soil jurisdiction) are fully standing, your complete assembly-based self-governance framework is ready to hold a legitimate trial at Law.
While a Local Assembly could, in theory, conduct trials in the Soil jurisdiction, it would currently lack:
The weight of numbers or Offices for enforcement
Recognised cross-jurisdiction authority to carry out a jury’s decision
Additionally, we must formally invoke the Law—a process already underway. Once this is complete, trials will be able to proceed with full and proper standing.
For now, the Grand Jury’s role is simply to determine whether sufficient grounds exist for a trial at some point in the future.
The outcome of this first Grand Jury has given us more than direction in a single case—it has provided a tested, detailed process that any Assembly across Terra Australis can use to address harm in their community.
It is a framework that safeguards fairness, protects rights, and upholds Natural Law while ensuring that no harm is caused to man, woman, boy, or girl in the process.
There is still more research and discussion happening around jurisdiction and the interface between Soil, Land and Water but all are subject to the Law of do no harm.
Each step we take strengthens the foundations of your internationally recognised assembly-based self-governance under Natural Law, bringing of peace and abundance for all while ensuring genuine accountability for the outcome of your actions.
Please note - the full process for the Jural Assembly is still being defined by the Jural Assembly Working Group
