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Government Information

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

Commonwealth (Federal)

NSW

Other Commonwealth countries

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