Macquarie Street building temporarily closed for refurbishment. Read more

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All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified.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

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Getting started

Learn about the major publications produced by the NSW Government

These publications include Hansard, Parliamentary papers and Gazettes.

Find out what each of the publications includes as well as where you can access the publications.

Notice

READING ROOMS & SERVICES

Temporary closure of the Macquarie Street building

The Macquarie Street building, including the Bashir Reading Room, is temporarily closed for a major refurbishment until late 2025.

During the building work, all reading room services (except study rooms and the Children’s Library), along with a temporary bookshop and cafe, are available in the Mitchell building.

Please enter the Library via the Mitchell building on Shakespeare Place.

For more information and FAQs, visit Transforming the Macquarie Street building.

How laws are made - Parliament

The law governs our lives from the day we are born to the day we die. So where do our laws come from?

This 10 minute video explains how parliaments make law, explaining the process of a Bill to an Act, how legislation changes over time, why the Commonwealth makes some laws and the states others, and delegated legislation such as regulations.

Developed by the Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC), State Library of NSW. Also available in captioned format.