Open Gate
One of the rules of country life here in Australia is that you never leave a gate open on a property, and I’m sure it’s the same across the world. My grand father, Edward Thomas Bailey, worked on Bective Station which is not far from where the Winton-Bective Road is located, and would have certainly heard of this breach of “gate etiquette”. The leaving open of a gate could have resulted in loss of stock, and the harsh penalty of 1 pound probably does reflect the seriousness of the crime.
Source:
The Keeper of Stories 
It’s certainly the same here. It’s equally important to leave an open gate open. I know a couple here who have been in a politically-motivated legal battle based on this. (The livestock were never really the issue.) It has cost them tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Always leave the gate the way you found it!