Law

Guide to legal resources at the State Library of Queensland 

The State Library offers a wide range of current and historical resources for Commonwealth and Queensland law. Resources are available in print, on microfilm and online through databases and websites.

What resources are available?

Books explaining Australian law, such as

• Queensland Law Handbook; your practical guide to the law (REF 349.943 2011)
• Researching and Writing in Law by Terry Hutchinson (G 340.072 2002)
• Easy guide to Australian law by Peter Fairfield (G 349.94 2005)

Legislation for Queensland and the federal government

• Queensland Acts and Statutes (REF 346.9431)
• Record of the Legislative Acts, 1939-1990 (S346.943 004)
• Explanatory Memorandum to Queensland Acts 1991 (REF 346.9431)
• Queensland Bills (S346.943 005)
• Queensland Regulations and Subordinate Legislation (REF 346.9431)
• Queensland Statutes Annotations (REF 346.943)
• Commonwealth Acts, Reprints and Statutory Rules (REF 346.9401)
• Federal Statutes Annotations (online through LexisNexis database)

Legal Databases to access a range of Australian cases and commentary

Some of our legal databases include:

• LexisNexis — search for cases heard in all Australian courts, consult Australian law reports, legal encyclopedias and major legal reference works
• Informit — a collection of databases including CINCH (Australian Institute of Criminology), AGIS (Attorney General’s Department) and APFD (Australian Federal Police Digest).

You can access these and other legal databases through the State Library’s website

Major legal publications

Our collection includes many standard legal reference works, including:

• Carters Criminal Law of Queensland — latest edition is available electronically through the LexisNexis database
• Halsbury’s Laws of Australia — latest commentary available through LexisNexis
• Building Regulation Australia including the Building Code of Australia, available online through LexisNexis

Government publications

These are held for the Queensland State Government and the Australian Commonwealth Government.

• Hansard (Parliamentary Debates)
• Parliamentary Papers
• Government Gazettes

For individual locations of these publications, check the One Search catalogue

Recommended websites

• Austlii (Australasian Legal Information Institute)
• ComLaw
• Queensland Office of Parliamentary Counsel (Legislation, Regulations, 1991+) 
• OzCase (Queensland Historical Legislation 1828–1936)
• Text Queensland (Historical Queensland Government Gazettes and Hansard) 
• Parliament of Australia

What services are available?

Experienced librarians are available to help you with your enquiries. Ask at one of the State Library Information Desks, phone 07 3840 7810, or fill out our online enquiry form or contact us on the State Library’s instant message service, Ask SLQ.

How do I access these services and facilities?

Visit the State Library at South Bank, Brisbane to access:

• The State Reference Library’s general collection, journals and serials on level 2
• Family history resources, video recordings, DVDs, and newspapers on level 3
• The John Oxley Library on level 4

Opening hours

Access the State Library’s website to:

• Access the online catalogue and databases.
• Browse the digital Queensland Memory Collections.
• Fill in an online enquiry form.

Books, journals and databases are available for use in the State Library. Some books may be borrowed through your local library if you live outside Brisbane.