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Legal Research Skills

Where to find legislation

Government legislation websites

Each state and territory government has its own legislation website where you will find Acts, Bills and subordinate legislation (such as Regulations). Generally, the version of legislation hosted on these sites is the authorised version.

Note: AustLII also contains legislation, however this is not the official version.


Subscription databases

You can use the library's subscription databases to research legislation. However, it is recommended that you use the authorised versions on government websites where possible. Remember, when you start practising, you may not have access to subscription databases. 

Free databases

Tutorial: Finding legislation

Complete this tutorial for an introduction to legislation, including finding extrinsic materials such as explanatory memoranda and hansard, to assist with statutory interpretation. Click at the bottom-right corner to expand to full size.