 Trial by jury was a contentious issue in the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land and each were immediately involved.John Bigge conducted an inquiry from 1819 to 1821 into the colonies of NSW and Van Diemen's Land.Bigge's 1823 report on judicial establishments recommended against trial by a civilian jury, and the House of Commons had narrowly defeated a proposal that juries be introduced for criminal trials, prior to passing the "New South Wales Act 1823" which prescribed military juries for criminal trials before the Supreme Court and that convicts could be tried summarily.