Links to sources for Acts, with scope notes and search tips. See also which version of the legislation do I need?
Current Commonwealth Acts
| Federal Register of Legislation |
- Browse by title or use the search box in the top menu bar to find current Acts.
- You can also use the ‘filter results’ box to locate an Act – note that it runs a phrase search so you need to type corporations act 2001 rather than corporations 2001. Click the ‘apply filter’ button once you have entered your search terms.
- To search full text, use the advanced search. Change the default setting in the ‘choose contents’ menu to ‘full text including title and description’ and select ‘Acts’ in the ‘choose type(s)’ menu. You can’t limit your search to a particular Act, but you can add the Act title as an exact phrase which may assist.
- Acts marked with the ‘tick’ icon are authorised (pdf version only; click on ‘download’ to access).
- Click on the ‘download’ link on an individual Act to find versions formatted for printing.
- Formerly known as ComLaw.
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| Lawlex |
- Type in the name of the Act in the ‘keywords’ field (but not the year or number). Set the jurisdiction to ‘CTH’ and click ‘Go’.
- Use the advanced search to conduct a more precise search. Using this option allows you to search a combination of jurisdictions, limit to particular document types (e.g. principal Act, amending Act, Bill), limit by year or year range and search full text.
- Each Act on Lawlex has a ‘home page’ – click on the title of the Act from the results list to go to the current version of the Act on the Federal Register of Legislation.
- The Act homepage also includes links to the Second Reading speech and Explanatory Memoranda (EMs).
- You can also browse legislation by subject. Use the check boxes to limit by jurisdiction and select a subject category / subcategory from the drop down menus.
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| AustLII |
- Browse alphabetically or use the search box to find current Acts.
- The search box defaults to ‘this database only’ and ‘full text’. You can change this setting to ‘titles only’ by clicking on the arrow on the left hand side of the search box.
- An advanced search option is also available.
- You can also search the full text of particular Act – once you have located an Act, the search box default changes to ‘this legislation only’.
- Check the update status for legislation page to see how frequently the database is updated.
- Once you are viewing an individual section of an Act, click on ‘NoteUp references’ in the right hand menu to find cases and commentary referring to that section.
- Classic AustLII is still available. Use the ‘name search’ to search the titles of Acts and the ‘database search’ to search the full text of Acts. PDF / RTF versions are available in the ‘download’ tab.
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| Legify |
- Type in the name of the Act – matching titles will appear as you type. Click on the relevant item to be taken directly to that Act on the Federal Register of Legislation (saves time if you find that site to be slow).
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Commonwealth Acts as passed (numbered Acts / sessional Acts)
| Federal Register of Legislation |
- Coverage: 1901-
- Browse by year / number. You can change the order in which the Acts are displayed by clicking on the ‘sort by’ menu, e.g. sort by title or sort by portfolio. You can also choose to display only principal Acts or only amending Acts.
- Use the advanced search if you need to search the full text of Acts – in the ‘choose legislation version’ menu, select ‘as made (numbered)’.
- Acts marked with the ‘tick’ icon are authorised (pdf version only; click on ‘download’ to access).
- Formerly known as ComLaw.
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| AustLII |
- Coverage: 1901-
- Browse alphabetically or use the search box to find Acts as passed
- The search box defaults to ‘this database only’ and ‘full text’. You can change this setting to ‘titles only’ by clicking on the arrow on the left hand side of the search box.
- An advanced search option is also available.
- You can also search the full text of particular Act – once you have located an Act, the search box default changes to ‘this legislation only’.
- Classic AustLII is still available. Use the ‘name search’ to search the titles of Acts and the ‘database search’ to search the full text of Acts. PDF / RTF versions are available in the ‘download’ tab.
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Point-in-time Commonwealth Acts (historical versions)
| Federal Register of Legislation |
- Coverage: the earliest historical versions are from 1973, though there is usually a gap between 1973 and the early 1990s.
- Locate the current version of the Act, then click on the ‘view series’ link to see all historical versions of that title.
- If the relevant Act has been repealed, use the ‘Acts no longer in force’ screen instead (has the same ‘view series’ functionality).
- Acts marked with the ‘tick’ icon are authorised (pdf version only; click ‘download’ to access).
- Formerly known as ComLaw
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| Lawlex |
- Coverage: same as the Federal Register of Legislation, as Lawlex provides another way of accessing this site.
- Type in the name of the Act in the ‘keywords’ field and the year in the ‘year range’ field. Set the jurisdiction to ‘CTH’ and the document type to ‘principal Act’.
- Each Act on Lawlex has a ‘home page’ – click on the ‘historical versions’ link to go to historical versions of the Act on the Federal Register of Legislation. This can be faster than using the government site directly.
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Repealed Commonwealth Acts
| Federal Register of Legislation |
- Coverage: selected repealed Acts.
- Repealed Acts are included in the ‘no longer in force’ section for Acts.
- Browse by title, then click on the ‘view series’ link to go to the main page for the Act. Repealed Acts have an information box in the top left hand corner with details of the repealing legislation and date of repeal.
- Acts marked with the ‘tick’ icon are authorised (pdf version only; access via the ‘download’ menu).
- Formerly known as ComLaw.
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| AustLII |
- Coverage: selected repealed Acts (small collection).
- Browse by title or use the ‘database search’ to run a full text search.
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Commonwealth legislation – tables and guides
| Federal Register of Legislation |
- Alphabetical and chronological tables 1901-
- Annual Act tables 1993- (also includes details of each Act’s passage through Parliament and commencement information)
- Repealed Acts table 1901-
- Table of reprints
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| AustLII |
- Table of Acts (alphabetical) 1901-
- Annual Act tables 1993-
- Status of reprints
- Classic AustLII is also available.
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Administrative Arrangements Orders
“Administrative Arrangements Orders (AAOs) formally allocate executive responsibility among ministers. They set out which matters and legislation are administered by which department or portfolio. AAOs are re-issued or amended to take into account changes in the structure of government.” (National Archives of Australia)
Last updated: 17 March 2019
