Official sources for legislation are those published by government printers or government websites. It is important to use these sources over other databases and free sites, such as AustLII. Find links to official sources for legislation identified as Authoritative Legislation within each jurisdiction of this guide.
Often databases and free legislation sites link to the official sources of legislation on government websites. Databases and free websites also provide information about the legislation. They may also link to case law, commentary and academic articles that cite legislation. This helps provide context around legislation, including how the law has been interpreted by the courts.
Some databases also include commentary and annotated legislation. Annotated content often includes:
Relevant dates - including dates of second reading speeches, assent, and commencement
A list of amending legislation
A list of sections which have been amended
A list of delegated/subordinate legislation
Commentary, cases and journal articles which consider and interpret the legislation or section
Check the Secondary Sources for Legal Research Guide for further information.
Below is a list of Australian legislation sources that include content from a range of jurisdictions. For sites specific to a jurisdiction navigate to the relevant state or territory via the menu to the left.
Watch the Australian Legislation video for an overview on searching for up-to-date legislative information.
This video is part of the Legal Research Video Series developed by the law library to help students with their legal research (log in required).