State and territory governments
Key resource
GovPubs
Although GovPubs: the Australian Government Publications Guide is no longer maintained, it remains a key resource for locating selected types of Australian government publications, including Acts, Hansards, Gazettes and Parliamentary Papers.
Use the ‘Browse by State’ option to find Government publications in National, State and Territory libraries and online.
Michael Jensen, Swearing in of the first Legislative Assembly, Darwin, 20 November 1974, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137086388
Michael Jensen, Swearing in of the first Legislative Assembly, Darwin, 20 November 1974, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137086388
Fairfax Corporation, New South Wales State Parliament House with automobiles parked outside, Sydney, ca. 1930, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162790401
Fairfax Corporation, New South Wales State Parliament House with automobiles parked outside, Sydney, ca. 1930, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-162790401
State and territory libraries
Your state or territory library may hold complete sets of parliamentary documents.
The ACT Heritage Library collects ACT Government publications and the publications of other jurisdictions where the content relates to Canberra.
Library & Archives Northern Territory
Search for Northern Territory parliamentary papers
Search for Tasmania parliamentary papers in their catalogue
How to search and find items
Search the catalogue
To find general information about state and territory governments, try searching the catalogue.
Learn more about how to use the catalogue
Subject search
To search for works by or about a governing body in a state or territory, try adding the name of the organisation in the search box and limiting to subject.
For example:
- Queensland Legislative Assembly
- Victoria Parliament
- Premiers New South Wales
- Norfolk Island Politics and government
Author search
You can also search by author where a governing body has published the material.
For example:
Case study: Second reading speech of the South Australia Development Act 1993
Q: How can I get an online copy of the second reading speech of the South Australia Development Act 1993.
Bills must pass through the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council before becoming an Act (either House may introduce the Bill).
The Second Reading speech for the Assembly and Council are usually identical. A Second Reading speech explains the content of the Bill in non-legal terms.
South Australian Hansards for 1993 are available online from the Parliament of South Australia website.
Search by keyword or date (use the search link in the menu). The Development Bill was introduced by the Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Local Government Relations, and the Second Reading speech was on 10 March, see pages 2433-2443.
The Legislative Council received the Bill from the House of Assembly on 31 March 1993. The Second Reading speech in the Legislative Council was on 1 April 1993, see pages 1849-1859.
There is more information about the Development Act 1993 from the South Australian Attorney General’s Department.
Official reports of the parliamentary debates (Hansards) are also available in print for the following dates:
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Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 1, 1 January 1901, in which the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed from the Papers of Sir Edmund Barton, 1827-1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224669092
Col Ellis, Panorama of Canberra taken from helicopter platform, Canberra, 2013, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-153517684
South Australian Association, issuing body, New colony of South Australia : a bill having been brought into parliament under the sanction of His Majesty's government for founding a colony in South Australia, 1834, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3461873066