Government Legislation & Publications: New South Wales

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.

All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.

Key to library resources

Access anywhere with a library card In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents)
Available to access in the library Only in the Library
Publicly available online Publicly available

Finding Explanatory Notes (ENs)

Finding Explanatory Notes online 1978 to present

Finding Explanatory Notes in Print 1987-2011

  1. You will need the name and year of the Bill.
  2. Volumes (by year) of 'Explanatory Notes for Bills passed' are available in the Governor Bashir reading room Lower Ground 2. (Call number: N348.944022/2).

Finding Explanatory Notes in Print before 1987

If available, Explanatory Notes (ENs) are bound with corresponding Bills (the Library's collection, while extensive, is not complete).

1922-1985 (Indexed)

  1. You will need the name and year of the Bill.
  2. Check the Index to NSW Parliament Bills with Explanatory Notes 1922 to 1971 (see below) if the Bills are tabled in this period of time.
  3. Request the Bill or amending Bill (Call number: Q346.911/2) from stack storage. Volumes are bound by year.
  4. Within each volume, Bills are published alphabetically (by title) with the corresponding EN, if available.

1986 (not indexed)

The ENs for NSW Parliament Bills for the year 1986 are not indexed.

Request the volume/s (Call number: NQ348.94401/1) for the year in which the Bill would have been tabled, and physically check the volume/s to see if there are available ENs bound with the Bill.

Also, check AustLII for New South Wales Explanatory Notes from 1978 onwards.