This guide assists with locating New South Wales government publications online and in the State Library of Victoria's catalogue.
State Library Victoria has separate research guides on finding and accessing:
The Parliament of New South Wales is Australia's first and oldest legislature.
In 1823 the British Parliament passed an Act 'for the better administration of Justice in New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land, and for the effectual Government thereof...', better known as the New South Wales Act.
This allowed for the formation of the Legislative Council in 1824 with 5 government officials appointed. This body was to assist the Governor with the legislative process and to ensure nothing enacted was contrary to English law.
The Governor, however, had the final say. In 1825 Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) separated from New South Wales and in 1850, Port Phillip District (Victoria) became a separate state.
For more on the beginnings of responsible government in New South Wales, see History of democracy in NSW.
Parliament Houses, Dec 1870 / [attributed to Charles Pickering] SPF / 307 from the collection of State Library of New South Wales.
| Department or organisation | Information Available |
|---|---|
| New South Wales government | Information collated and presented by NSW government agencies, third-party organisations and individuals. |
| New South Wales government directory | New South Wales government departments and instrumentalities. Includes departments and agencies, boards, committees, councils and universities. |
| Data.NSW | Collection of available NSW government datasets |
| New South Wales Parliament | Information on the workings and documents of the New South Wales Parliament |
| New South Wales legislation | Official NSW government website for online publication of legislation and is provided and maintained by the Parliamentary Counsel's Office. |
| OpenGov NSW |
Contains information published by NSW government agencies, including annual reports and open access Government Information up until 2024. Note: The OpenGov NSW website has been retired and archived. It is not updated but content up to 2024 is available through the archived website. |
