Legislation: Home
Legislation Databases
- WA LegislationWA Legislation is the authorised database you should use to find WA legislation. The database also includes links to Bills and other parliamentary documents.
- WA Legislation FAQ'sThis link provides a list of useful FAQ's in relation to the WA Legislation database.
- WA Legislation: GuidesThis link points out to a list of WA Legislation Guides.
- Federal Register of LegislationThe Federal Register of Legislation (the Register) is the authorised whole-of-government website for Commonwealth legislation and related documents. Authorised versions are stamped with either 'Authorised version' or Authoritative'.
- About the RegisterThe Register has gone through some changes. Have look at this webpage for information on the new database.
- The Register: GlossaryThe glossary provides definitions of terms and concepts used on the Register.
- The Register: Navigating the homepageThis help page provides information on how to navigate the new homepage.
- The Register: Browsing and searchingThis help page details how to search and browse the updated database.
- LawNow Legislation (Lexis Advance)Search or browse for legislation from all Australian jurisdictions. Includes links to cases.
- Capital MonitorThis database provides a range of resources including legislation, rulings, determinations, statutory rules, gazettes. Please logout after use.
- LegifyLegify is a free, quick search tool that links directly to authoritative legislation, as published on the official publishers' websites for state and commonwealth jurisdictions. Just type in the legislation's title to get a link.
Finding and monitoring legislation is a very important legal research skill. The tabs in this Guide provide a comprehensive overview of Legislative Research.
This Guide provides a comprehensive overview on finding Legislation. To the left you will find links to various legislation Databases. The Guide also provides information on how to monitor legislation and how to locate various legislative materials such as Hansard and EM's!
Legislation is a primary source of law. The Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary (Lexis Advance) provides a useful summary of Legislative terms. These have been provided below.
Legislation
Statutes
1. A law or body of laws formally made or enacted. The term is often confined to those laws promulgated by a legislature (statute law or Acts of Parliament) but in its broadest sense it also encompasses law made by other bodies under the authority of Parliament (delegated legislation).
2. The process of making or enacting law.
Also known as 'lawmaking' or 'statute-making'.
See also Act of Parliament; Bill; Common Law; Delegated Legislation; Enactment; Legislative process; Promulgation
Legislative process
Constitutional law
The process by which laws are created and promulgated by the Commonwealth Parliament and respective State parliaments. Usually, a Bill is introduced into one of the houses of parliament, is passed by that house and agreed to in identical form by the other house, and receives the assent of the Crown, becoming an Act of Parliament.
See also Bill; Legislation
Extrinsic material
Material that does not form part of an Act but which may assist in the interpretation of that Act. Such material includes explanatory memoranda, reports of law reform commissions and parliamentary committees and second reading speeches. While at common law it was not permissible to have recourse to such materials, for the purposes of statutory interpretation (Commissioner for Prices and Consumer Affairs (SA) v Charles Moore (Aust) Ltd (1977) 139 CLR 449 ; 14 ALR 485 ), consideration may now be given to such materials to confirm the ordinary meaning of a word or phrase or where there is ambiguity: for example (CTH) Acts Interpretation Act 1901 s 15AB; (NSW) Interpretation Act 1987 s 34(1).
Also known as 'extrinsic aids'.
See also Act of Parliament; Golden rule; Literal rule; Statutory construction; Travaux préparatoires
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