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Australian Case Law

A guide on where to find authorised reported and unreported judgments in Australian jurisdictions.

Commonwealth Cases

Authorised Reports

The authorised report series of the High Court of Australia is the Commonwealth Law Reports. These are available via Westlaw Australia and AustLII

To locate authorised report series from other Commonwealth courts (such as the Federal Court, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and Australian Industrial Relations Commission), see our Authorised Law Reports guide.

Unreported Judgments

The following unreported judgments from Commonwealth courts are available on AustLII and Jade databases.

  • High Court of Australia - 1903 - present

Other unreported judgments on AustLII and Jade include:

  • Federal Court of Australia - 1977 - present
  • Federal Court of Australia, Full Court - 2002 - present
  • Federal Circuit Court of Australia - 2013 - present
  • Federal Magistrates Court of Australia - 2000 - 2013
  • Family Court of Australia - 1976 - present (Jade only limited coverage  1988 - 1986)
  • Family Court of Australia, Full Court - 2008 - present
  • Administrative Appeals Tribunal - 1976 - present (Jade only limited coverage 1998 - 2010)
  • Australian Industrial Relations Commission - 1983 - 2009 (Not on Jade)
  • Industrial Relations Court of Australia - 1994 - 2002
  • Fair Work Australia - 2009 - 2012
  • Fair Work Commission - 2013 - present 
  • National Native Title Tribunal - 1994 - present (Jade only limited coverage 1996 - 2004)

Finding matters pending, submissions filed & outcomes in Commonwealth Courts

The High Court of Australia

See the High Court of Australia's website for information on submissions and special leave applications. 

Federal Courts

The Federal Law Search (on the Commonwealth Courts Portal) provides information on cases initiated in the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. The database is updated in real time and includes all cases that have commenced since 1 January 1984. The database includes a list of all submissions, and links to full text orders and judgments made throughout the matter. This is a good way to find information on matters still pending. For completed matters, the outcomes are provided - so this is a good resource for finding information about matters which did not proceed because they were settled, withdrawn or otherwise discontinued.

Commonwealth Sentencing Database

The purpose of the Commonwealth Sentencing Database is to provide judicial officers and other users with rapid and easy access to information about sentencing for Commonwealth offences.

High Court Bulletin

The High Court Bulletin is compiled monthly, from February to December, after each Court sitting and contains, as at the date of each issue:

  • Cases handed down
  • Cases reserved
  • Original jurisdiction
  • Special leave granted
  • Cases not proceeding or vacated
  • Special leave refused

High Court Blog

The Melbourne Law School High Court Blog aims to provide a public forum for discussion of the judicial decisions of the High Court of Australia.

This blog provides commentary on and analysis of recent High Court decisions, general information about the Court, as well as marking significant activities and events at the Court. It is a forum for discussion of decisions of the Court and a resource for understanding the operation of the Court.

Note: At October 2023 recent cases had not been discussed on this blog.  However it is still a useful resource of commentary and analysis of High Court decisions.

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