Finding Legislation and Related Materials
This guide provides details for access to print and electronic versions of Australian legislation and related materials. It concentrates on the location of Commonwealth and Victorian materials.
Commonwealth and Victoria
- Bills and Explanatory Memorandums
- Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
- Acts of Parliament
- Reprinted Acts
- Regulations
Other Australian States and Territories
- ACT | NSW | Northern Territory | Queensland | South Australia | Tasmania | WA
Bills and Explanatory Memorandums
Background: How a Law is Made in Victoria
Acts originate in the form of bills. As a bill is a draft of an Act, its text is set out in much the same way as an Act, with the provisions numbered and referred to as clauses. Most bills are issued with an explanatory memorandum (EM) which explains the content and purpose of the bill. Long after a bill becomes an Act, the explanatory memorandum continues to be an important document as it can aid in the understanding of a piece of legislation.
Are bills available via the Internet?
Current bills and EMs are available via the Internet.
Older Commonwealth bills (from 1996) are also available. Prior to 1996, it is necessary to locate the printed copy of the bill and EM. For Commonwealth bills, pre-1982, use the Index to Explanatory Memoranda 1901–1982 to discover if there was, in fact, an accompanying EM.
Older Commonwealth bills and EMs have been moved to the Annexe. Use this form to request a bill or EM from the Annexe. Commonwealth bills (catalogue record).
The Parliamentary Library in Canberra offers a digest service for each new Commonwealth bill. This service indicates the purpose of the new legislation (and covers bills since 1990), the background (why it was introduced) and provides a summary of the main provisions of each bill.
Victorian bills are available online from 1996. The Victorian Parliamentary Library Research Service started producing Research Briefs in 2006. These are available for a small number of new bills.
Older Victorian bills and EMs have been moved to the Annexe. Use this form to request a bill or EM from the Annexe. Victorian bills (catalogue record).
Bill |
Site |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth bills and EMs (from 1996+) | Via Commonwealth Parliament |
| Commonwealth bills (from 1996+) | Via ComLaw |
| Commonwealth EMs (from 1996+) | Via ComLaw |
| Victorian bills | Via Victorian Parliament [Use Parliamentary Documents] |
| Old Victorian bills (from 1996+) | Via Victorian Parliament [Use Parliamentary Documents] ->Archive |
| Old Victorian EMs (from 2001+) | Via Victorian Parliament [Use Parliamentary Documents] ->Archive |
How do you check on the progress of a bill?
It is sometimes necessary to know how far a bill has progressed through the Parliament. For Commonwealth bills, use the Parliament's Bills site. Progress of Victorian bills is given for each bill as a Status Report at the Victorian Parliamentary Documents site.
Australian Current Law - Legislation (online) contains a cumulative table of bills, arranged by jurisdiction.
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
The progress of a bill through both houses of parliament and the debates on it are recorded in the Parliamentary Debates, commonly referred to as Hansard. Second reading speeches are very useful in interpreting statutes. The dates of these speeches are usually printed at the end of each Act, in the Notes section. This practice began in 1985 for Commonwealth Acts and in 1986 for Victorian Acts.
Hansard in print
Commonwealth Hansard |
Location |
|---|---|
Bundoora StorageSpecial A Z/3 P2 |
|
Bundoora Storage Special A Z/3 P2 |
|
Bundoora Govt Pubns A Z/3 P2H - (Level 2) |
|
Victorian Hansard |
Location |
Bundoora Storage Special A/V Z/3 P1 |
|
Bundoora Storage Special A/V Z/3 P2 |
|
Bundoora Govt Pubns A/V Z/3 P2 - (Level 2) |
|
| v.366(1982)+ | Bundoora Govt Pubns A/V Z/3 P2 - (Level 2) |
Is Hansard available via the Internet?
Commonwealth [from 1901] Instructions for Finding a Second Reading Speech
Victoria [from 12 March 1991] Instructions for Finding a Second Reading Speech
The Victorian Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee is set up to review bills referred to it. It publishes a regular Alert Digest (in print) (online). The Alert Digest Archive provides access to Alert Digests from 1994.
The Commonwealth Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee also produces an Alert Digest (in print) (online).
Acts of Parliament
Where are numbered Acts located at Bundoora?
Acts are located in the Law Reports and Legislation Collection on Level 2 in bound volumes, arranged in number order. This set of Acts, in the original form, is known as the numbered Acts. The latest Acts, referred to as loose Acts or unbound Acts, are kept with the bound volumes. Individual Acts are not listed by title in the library catalogue.
Act |
Location |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth Acts | Law Reports and Legislation Collection LEG 348.94 A93 |
| Victorian Acts | Law Reports and Legislation Collection LEG 348.94 V632 |
Are numbered Acts available via the Internet?
Act |
Site |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth Acts [from 1973] | via ComLaw | via AustLII |
| Victorian Acts [from 1996] | via Victorian Parliament[use the Victorian Statute Book option] | via AustLII |
Finding commencement dates.
When does the new legislation come into force? Use an annotation service to find commencement dates. For recently passed Acts, Australian Current Law: Legislation has a cumulative table of Acts passed, amended, repealed or commenced. ComLaw contains commencement for each Commonwealth Act, in Schedule 2 of each numbered Act.
Finding an Act if you do not know its exact title.
You may not always know the correct title of the Act you are looking for. For example, you may be looking for the Act which regulates the donation of blood in Victoria. There are many ways to determine the name of the relevant Act(s). These include
- LAWLEX has a Subject Index of Principal Australian Legislation. Select Search Legislation, then click on the Browse Legislation Tab. Expand Health, then look at the Medical Practice and Treatment legislation.
- Use a legal encyclopaedia to read up on the area of law that you are interested in. Use either Halsburys Laws of Australia (online) or The Laws of Australia (online).
- Use the Law Handbook or the Lawyers Practice Manual or any of the loose leaf services that cover your area of interest. For example, health law is covered by the Australian Health and Medical Law Reporter. Many services are only available online, and many services include current annotated legislation.
Examples of online services containing legislation: - Use the search features available at the Internet sites listed above. For example, use the Act Name Search feature at the AustLII site.
- Use a subject index such as Wicks Subject Index to Commonwealth Legislation or the Index to Subject Matter of Victorian Legislation, both of which are kept behind the Research Help Desk at Bundoora.
Reprinted Acts
An Act may be amended a number of times. If this occurs a 'revised version' of the Act may be issued, incorporating the amendments into the text of the Act. This revision is known as a 'reprint'. Reprints may also be known as consolidations or paste-ups.
Where are the reprinted Acts located at Bundoora?
Act |
Location |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth reprints | Law Reports and Legislation LEG 348.94 A931 |
| Victorian reprints | Law Reports and Legislation LEG 348.94 V633 |
Are Reprints available via the Internet?
Reprints |
Site |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth reprints | via ComLaw |via AustLII |
| Victorian reprints | via AustLII |via Vic Parliament [use the Victorian Law Today option] |
Regulations
In the text of an Act, there is sometimes provision made for the making of regulations by a person or body to whom parliament has delegated some of its law-making powers. These laws are known collectively as subordinate or delegated legislation. Statutory rules, regulations, by-laws, rules are all used to describe specific types of delegated legislation.
Regulations can, like Acts, be 'revised' and reprinted to incorporate the amendments.
Where are regulations located at Bundoora?
Commonwealth regulations |
|
|---|---|
| Numbered regulations | Law Reports and Legislation LEG 348.94 A934 |
| Reprinted regulations | Law Reports and Legislation LEG 348.94 A935 |
Victorian regulations |
|
| Numbered regulations | Law Reports and Legislation LEG 348.94 V634 |
| Reprinted regulations | Law Reports and Legislation LEG 348.94 V635 |
Are regulations available via the Internet?
Commonwealth Regulations |
Site |
|---|---|
| Numbered regulations | Via ComLaw | via AustLII |
| Consolidated regulations | Via ComLaw | via AustLII |
Victorian Regulations |
Site |
| Numbered regulations | via AustLII |via Vic Parliament from 1996 [use the Victorian Statute Book option] |
| Consolidated regulations | via AustLII |via Vic Parliament [use the Victorian Law Today option] |
Other Australian States and Territories
Listed below are links to legislation and related materials for the other Australian states and territories.