Finding Bills and Explanatory Memoranda
If the Bill was introduced in recent years, the Bill and Explanatory Memorandum will available online.
Commonwealth Bills
From 1996 to current
Bills introduced into the Australian Parliament from 1996 onwards are available online, via the below sites.
Prior to 1996
If you wish to find a Bill prior to 1996, you will need to locate the printed copy of the Bill and explanatory memorandum. For Commonwealth Bills prior to 1982, use the link below to confirm if there was an accompanying explanatory memorandum.
Victorian Bills
Victorian bills are available online from 1996. Victorian explanatory memoranda are also available from 2003. Both are available from the Victorian Parliament website. Follow the link below.
How do you check on the progress of a Bill?
You can check on how far a Bill has progressed through Parliament.
Commonwealth Bill progress
The 'House Daily Bills List' contains a status report on the Bills in each house of parliament.
Victorian Bill progress
Progress of Victorian Bills can be checked via the Bills Status Report.
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
The progress of a Bill through both houses of parliament and the debates on it are recorded in parliamentary debates commonly referred to as Hansard. Hansard is available in hardcopy and online.
One of the most important stages of a Bill is its 'second reading.' At that time, the Minister responsible for introducing the Bill explains its purpose, why the Bill should be supported and the necessity for its proposals. Second reading speeches are published in the relevant jurisdiction's Hansard.
The dates of second reading speeches are usually printed at the end of each Act in the Notes section. This practice began in 1985 for Commonwealth Acts and in 1986 for Victorian Acts. Follow the links in the table below to find Commonwealth and Victorian Hansard.