Study Guides: Legislation: Parliamentary websites

Parliament websites

Parliament websites contain useful information about the passage history of Bills, links to second reading speeches, parliamentary debates (Hansard), and explanatory materials.

Parliament of Australia – Bills & Legislation Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the Federal parliament. Also links to explanatory materials and second reading speeches.
Parliament of NSW – All bills (1997+) Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the NSW Parliament since 1997. Also links to explanatory notes and second reading speeches.
Parliament of Victoria – All Bills (1996+) Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the Victorian Parliament since 1996. Also links to the specific section of the Hansard where the second reading speech appeared.
Parliament of Queensland – Bills & Legislation (1996+) Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the Queensland Parliament since 1996. Also links to explanatory notes and second reading speeches for Bills introduced since 2009.
Parliament of SA – Legislation Tracking (1996+) Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the SA Parliament since 1996. Note that SA does not use explanatory materials.
Parliament of SA – Second Reading Search Search Second Readings by predefined date or session ranges.
Parliament of WA – All Bills (1997+) Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the WA Parliament since 1997. Also links to explanatory memoranda and second reading speeches.
Parliament of WA – Explanatory memorandum for Bills (pre-2001) Provides links to explanatory memoranda for pre-2001 Bills.
Parliament of Tasmania – Bills and Fact Sheets (2002+) Provides information on the passage of Bills introduced in the Tasmanian Parliament since 2002. Also links to fact sheets and second reading speeches.
Legislative Assembly for the ACT – Bills Volume Provides links to each Bill and explanatory statement from the current assembly. Click on ‘Previous Assemblies’ for older Bills and explanatory statements.
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory Links to NT Legislation website, where you can find Bills, Acts and Subordinate Legislation.

Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)

To find second reading speeches for legislation that was enacted before 1995, and to look up parliamentary debates generally, you will normally need to consult Hansard, which is the official record of parliamentary debates and contains a verbatim report of all proceedings in Parliament.

Each jurisdiction has its own Hansard website, and most of these have digitised their debates back to at least 1901.

Commonwealth Hansard Official source for records of debates at the Federal parliament. For better searching, use the separate links for the Senate and the House of Representatives.
NSW Hansard Official source for records of debates at the NSW parliament. Use the 'Hansard by Bill' link on the left to search for second reading speeches.
Victoria Hansard Official source for records of debates at the Parliament of Victoria. Use the 'Advanced Search' link to search back to 1991. For earlier years use the 'Historical Hansard' link.
Queensland Hansard Official source for records of debates at the QLD Parliament. You can look up the name of a Bill in the 'Indexes to Debates' section.
South Australia Hansard Official source for records of debates at the Parliament of South Australia. Has a link at the bottom of the page for 'Second Reading Speech'.
Western Australia Hansard Official source for records of debates at the Parliament of Western Australia. Use the 'Hansard Index' to look up the name of a Bill.
Tasmanian Parliament Official source for records of debates at the Parliament of Tasmania. Use the Hansard menu to choose which chamber's Hansard you need.
ACT Hansard
Northern Territory Hansard Official source for parliamentary debates at the NT Legislative Assembly.

Example Questions:

Where can we find the second reading speech for the Family Law Bill associated with the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)?
What date was it made and who made the speech?

Bills Digests (Commonwealth)

Bills Digests are produced by the Australian Parliamentary Library. They are considered excellent research tools as they provide detailed information about the context, purpose and structure of Commonwealth Bills. They are written to assist members and senators of the federal parliament in their consideration of Bills (in preparation for debate or voting) and contain independent perspectives.

Since 1979, Bills digests have been produced for most Commonwealth government Bills. For private members’ Bills, a digest is only produced for Bills that are likely to be debated in the parliament, or which are particularly controversial or significant.

Australian Parliamentary Library – Bills Digest Provides context, purpose and structure of Commonwealth Bills.

Legislation Review Digests (NSW)

Legislation Review Digests are produced by The NSW Legislation Review Committee - which scrutinises each Bill and Regulation to be introduced into the NSW Parliament. The digests provide general background information on the Bill or Regulation and report on their impact on personal rights and liberties.

Legislation Review Digests (NSW) Provides background information on NSW Bills and Regulations.