This guide provides an introduction to legislative research. Use the menu tabs to learn about different types of legislation, where to find authoritative sources of legislation across different jurisdictions and how to undertake different types of legislative research.
Jurisdiction is important in legal research. In the legislative context, jurisdiction refers to the parliament or legislature which has created the legislation.
The Parliament of Australia's infosheet provides an overview of the structure of government at a Commonwealth level. Most Australian jurisdictions follow a similar structure.
The Law Library has also developed short legislation research videos to accompany this guide.
Legal research will often be based around a piece of legislation. It is essential to locate the relevant legislation, understand it and interpret it. It is central to legal problem-solving and one of the two main sources of law in Australia, case law being the second.
Watch the Australian Legislation videos for an overview on searching for up-to-date legislative information.
These videos are part of the Legal Research Video Series developed by the Law Library to help students with their legal research (log in required)