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Australian Legislation

Australian legislation

New South Wales Acts and Regulations: official version

Introduction:

NSW Legislation - status of online versions
Provides information regarding NSW Legislation authorised, Legislation not authorised and Legislation—History of E-publishing.

Use the following databases and website to find official, authorised online Acts & Regulations:

New South Wales Acts and Regulations: unofficial versions

The databases linked below provide unofficial, unauthorised online versions of New South Wales Acts and Regulations in full text. These databases can be useful for research purposes but they do not provide authorised versions of New South Wales legislation.

Historical legislation

Find NSW Acts & Subordinate Legislation on a Subject

Commencement dates, Amendments and Repeals

Finding Subordinate Legislation enabled under a principal Act

Find Equivalent Legislation in Other Australian Jurisdictions

Keeping up to date ....

Quick Llinks

to Key New South Wales Legislation Databases

Bills and Explanatory Notes

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes:

(e)  any explanatory memorandum relating to the Bill for the Act, or any other relevant document, that was liad before, or furnished to the members of, either House of Parliament by a Minister or other member of Parliament introducing the Bill before the provision was enacted or made;

Use the following databases and websites to find online Bills & Explanatory Notes:

Parliamentary debates (Hansard)

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes:

(f) the speech made to a House of Parliament by a Minister or other member of Parliament on the occasion of the moving by that Minister or member of a motion tha the Bill for the Act be read a second time in that House;

Use the following databases and websites to find online NSW Parliamentary Debates:

Parliament: Reports of Committees

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes:

(c) any relevant report of Parliament or of either House of Parliament before the provision was enacted or made;

Use the following databases and websites to find online reports of Parliament and Parliamentary Committees:

Parliament: Votes & Proceedings and Minutes of the Houses of Parliament

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes:

(h) any relevant material in the Minutes of Proceedings or the Votes and Proceedings of either House of Parliament or in any offical record of debates in Parliament or either House of Parliament;

Use the following databases and websites to find online Minutes of Proceedings (LC) and Votes & Proceedings (LA):

Reports of a Royal Commission, Law Reform Commission, committee of inquiry or other similar body

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes::

(b) any relevant report of a Royal Commission, Law Refoem Commission, committee of inquiry or other similar body that was laid before either House of Parliament before the provision was enacted or made;

Enabling Act: Royal Commissions Act 1923 (NSW)

Use the following databases and websites to find Reports of Royal Commissions, Law Reform Commissions or similar body:

Treaties and international agreements

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes::

(2)(d) any treaty or other international agreement that is referred to in the Act;

The full text of a treaty or international agreement that is referred to in an Act may be appended in a schedule to the Act, if not

  • Search the Australian Treaty Series (ATS) database for the full text of  treaties or international agreements to which Australia is a party

To find examples of treaties or international agreements referred to in New South Wales  legislation:

  • Search full text Acts or Regulations, using Lawlex Search Legislation or NSW Legislation Search,  for the treaty or international agreement title (eg Child Protection Convention (short title))

Any document declared relevant by the Act

Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) 

s 34(2) .... the material that may be considered in the interpretation of a provision of an Act, or a statutory rule made under the Act, includes:

((g) any document (whether or not a document to which a preceding paragraph applies) that is declared by the Act to be a relevant document for the purposes of this section,

Search for the 'declared document':

  • using ACU Library Search
  • using other Library Catalogues
  • on the website of the government Department or agency responsible for administering the Act (find the Act on Lawlex to identify the administering Department or agency)