Before an Act becomes Law, it is first put before Parliament as a Bill. Extrinsic material (i.e. material related to, but not part of the legislation), can assist in interpretation, including:
As the Bill passes through Parliament, it will be outlined in detail during the Second Reading Speech and then debated and possibly amended. These debates can provide further background about a Bill's purpose and can be found in the record of Parliamentary proceedings known as Hansard.
Commonwealth
Q. Find the Cth Fair Work Bill 2009 and any extrinsic material that may help in its interpretation
In the Basic Search box type "fair work bill 2009" > Filter the results by selecting Bills and Legislation > select the result Fair Work Bill 2009 [Bill Homepage]
The Bill Homepage outlines the details and dates of the Bill's passage through Parliament, and also provides links to documents such as:
Also try the Explanatory memoranda Index from 1901 to 1982. From 1983 to 2008 Explanatory Memoranda 1983+ contains selected Memoranda not available on the Internet elsewhere. AUSTLII may contain copies of Explanatory Memorandum that do not appear in this index.
Queensland
Q. What did the Attorney General of QLD say about the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Bill 2013?
Select Work of the Assembly> select Bills this Parliament> >Scroll through the results list to select the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Bill 2013> select >Explanatory Speech.
Tip: Take note of the other information associated with this Bill.
For more information about the Commonwealth parliamentary system:
For more information about Commonwealth legislation:
For more information about the QLD parliamentary system:
For more information about QLD legislation:
