Guides: Government Information: Reports and Papers

Government reports (including Parliamentary Papers)

Government reports are a useful source of authoritative information, facts and figures. They are produced on a vast range of subjects (e.g. economics, education, health, social issues, technology). Reports may result from Royal Commissions, Commissions of Inquiry, and other special committees. There are also annual and other types of reports regularly released by different government departments and agencies.

Are all government reports available online?

From mid 1990s+, the majority of Australian government reports are available online.
Prior to mid-1990s, a range of older government reports are digitised, however the percentage does vary for each State/Territory government.
Start by checking the website of the relevant department/agency or try an advanced Google search using some keywords from the title of the report and limit if needed to the domain name .gov.au
It can be useful to check more than one website, as sometimes publications are archived on alternative sites to the main State/Territory government's website.

See the links below.

Please contact Library staff if you need help with locating specific publications.

What are 'parliamentary papers' or 'tabled papers'?

Many government reports are published with a corresponding 'parliamentary paper' (PP) edition. This simply means the report is officially tabled (presented) in the relevant Federal or State/Territory Parliament and a copy is included within that Parliament's official publications series for that parliamentary session year. References to individual reports sometimes cite a corresponding PP number.

Useful starting points

Trove: Research & Reports
Use Trove's Advanced Search options to search for government and other types of report publications, both federal and state/territory.
Australian Web Archive
Historic snapshots of previous versions of government and political parties websites. Useful for locating archived older official publications and other information no longer accessible through current sites. Part of Trove's Australian Web Archive program.
Parliamentary Papers guide
Links from the National Library of Australia's GovPubs Guide. Especially helpful for tips on finding older hardcopy papers.

Commonwealth (Federal)

Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers series - Tabled Papers guide
Search for tabled papers released 2000s+. Also includes information about accessing older tabled papers.
Historic Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers
Commonwealth ParlInfo's Tabled Papers Register - digitised versions of official papers from 1901+
Senate Committees
House of Representatives Committees
(also known as House Committees)

NSW

NSW Parliament Hansard & House Papers by Date
Includes archive of tabled papers and reports. Majority are from years 1824-1938 and 1999+, however also includes a range of Committee related reports prior to 1990s. On the Legislative Assembly page select the Filter tab then 'All tabled papers and reports' and relevant session to browse list of publication titles by date.
Austlii - NSW Royal Commissions & Public Inquiries
Searchable library of reports of NSW Royal Commissions 1871+ and Committees of Public Inquiry 1856+
OpenGov NSW - Publications
Searchable repository for NSW Government publications from a range of current and historical agencies and departments. Includes annual reports, strategic plans, guides, and policy documents. Coverage date varies according to department/agency, however some reports date from 1870s+
DIGS - NSW Geosciences
DIGS is a public online archive of exploration, geological and mining departmental reports, publications, maps, plans and heritage records. Some item series date from 1875+
NSW Resources Regulator - Documents Library
Searchable library of mining safety related NSW inquiry reports and other official publications, some dating from 1880s+

Other Commonwealth countries

British Parliamentary Papers guide
Guide from the National Library of Australia. Reports in British Parliamentary Papers are a useful source of information about government activities in colonial era Australia.
New Zealand Parliamentary Papers
Full-text of many older New Zealand government reports (many of which include comparative Australian data)

Please contact Library staff if you need help with locating specific publications.