Federal Register of Legislation - Australian Government

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The Federal Register of Legislation (the Legislation Register) is the authorised whole-of-government website for Commonwealth legislation and related documents. It contains the full text and details of the lifecycle of individual laws and the relationships between them.

The Legislation Register is managed by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel in accordance with the Legislation Act 2003.

Announcement

The Federal Register of Legislation (the Register) is being redeveloped to modernise the technology supporting the website and give greater flexibility to future improvements. We were hoping to go live early in 2023, but it’s going to take us a little longer. We will continue giving you updates on what improvements to expect in the lead up to the launch of the new Register and will keep you posted on the timing of the launch. Thank you for your patience and keep watching this space!

Check out the fourth update (20/03/2023) about the new Register!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our survey. A summary of your responses is now available.

Some laws are more significant than others, in that they set out enduring legal principles and frameworks that affect a large part of the Australian community. Among the most significant laws on the Federal Register are:

The Constitution Freedom of Information Act 1982
Administrative Arrangements Order High Court Rules 2004
Acts Interpretation Act 1901 Income Tax Assessment Act 1936
Acts Publication Act 1905 Legislative Instruments Act 2003
Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 Legislative Instruments Regulations 2004
Archives Act 1983 Long Service Leave (Commonwealth Employees) Act 1976
Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010 Maternity Leave (Commonwealth Employees) Act 1973
Bankruptcy Act 1966 Migration Agents Regulations 1998
Criminal Code Act 1995 Privacy Act 1988
Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013
Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 Public Service Act 1999
Deed to Establish an Occupational Superannuation Scheme for Commonwealth Employees and Certain Other Persons (the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme) Racial Discrimination Act 1975
Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Sex Discrimination Act 1984
Evidence Act 1995 Superannuation (PSSAP) Trust Deed
Federal Court Rules 2011 Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Act 1997  

To find one of the many other titles available on the Federal Register, use the Search field at the top of every page.

Australia's ten Territories are home to over half a million Australians. Each territory has different legal origins, and a different relationship with the Australian Government. Choose the territory you are interested in for details of its laws and governance:

Ashmore and Cartier Islands Coral Sea Islands
Australian Antarctic Territory Heard and McDonald Islands
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Jervis Bay Territory
Christmas Island* Norfolk Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands* Northern Territory (NT)

In the past, the Australian Government has also administered territory in Nauru, New Guinea and Papua. These territories have since become the independent nations of Nauru and of Papua New Guinea.

For more information about how Australia acquired its external territories - that is, all territories except the ACT, the NT and Jervis Bay Territory - please see Alan Kerr's book A Federation In These Seas This link will take you away from the Federal Register.

*these two territories are jointly administered and are also known as the Indian Ocean Territories (IOTs)

The Federal Register of Legislation does not cover all sources of Australian law. To browse other sources of Australian law, choose a jurisdiction and type of information:

Commonwealth of Australia Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
New South Wales Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Victoria Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Queensland Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Western Australia Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
South Australia Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Tasmania Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Australian Capital Territory Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Northern Territory Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register
Norfolk Island Parliament This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Legislation This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Caselaw This link will take you away from the Legislation Register Gazettes This link will take you away from the Legislation Register More This link will take you away from the Legislation Register

Many jurisdictions are working together to harmonise their legislation, and harmonised or 'model' laws have been developed and enacted on more than 80 issues. A list of the issues and associated Acts is available from the Australasian Parliamentary Counsel’s Committee website This link will take you away from the Legislation Register.

Work is continuing on other issues through bodies including the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) This link will take you away from the Legislation Register and the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council (LCCSC) This link will take you away from the Legislation Register.