General
These are general sites for researching the Australian government on the Internet and provide a starting place for researchers in this field. They provide a diverse range of information on Australian government resources as well as providing links to other useful sites.
Government in Australia is three-tiered - Commonwealth (or Federal), State and Local. More information about Australia's system of government is available from the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
- Australian Constitution - full text.
- Australian Federal, State, Territory and Local Governments - access to the information and services of the Australian Federal, State, Territory and Local Governments.
- australia.gov.au - links to information and services on over 700 Australian Government websites as well as selected state and territory resources.
Executive government
- The Official Web Site of the British Monarchy - provides information on the work of The Queen in modern society, biographies of the Royal Family, a history of kings and queens through the ages, background on Royal residences and art collections, and coverage of recent Royal events.
- Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia – includes information on the role of the Governor-General, speeches, previous Governors-General, the Australian Honours Secretariat and links to the websites of the State Governors.
- Prime Minister of Australia – official website of the Prime Minister. Includes speeches, media releases, links to the ministry, and general information on Australia.
Parliamentary system
- Parliament of Australia – official website of Australian parliament. Includes information on parliamentary departments, links to committee reports, full text of bills, speeches, biographical information, parliamentary publications, and more.
- Commonwealth Budget – includes budget speech, budget overview and guide, and portfolio budget statements.
- Australian Political Parties - from the Parliamentary Library website, a list of Australian political parties and political organisations.
Judiciary
- High Court of Australia - general information, sitting days, text of recent judges' speeches etc.
- Australian Law: Selected Websites – provides links to Commonwealth, State and Territory legislative resources.
Government publications
- GovPubs: the Australian Government Publications Guide is a guide to selected Australian Commonwealth and State Government publications located in Australia's National and State Libraries and on the Internet.
- AGIMO Government Publishing Information – includes link to Publications Register for information on distribution arrangements for many Australian Government publications.
Australia's government overseas
- Australia's Diplomatic and Consular Missions – includes a listing of all Australian Embassies and Consulates, arranged alphabetically by country.
- Commonwealth Secretariat – provides information on the association of 53 independent sovereign states known as “The Commonwealth”. The site includes historical detail, facts and figures on each of the member nations including Australia, current news, press releases, publications, events and initiatives.
Historical information
- National Archives of Australia - holds government records created since the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, and some nineteenth century records, including records for shipping and post offices.
- Australia's Prime Ministers - a ‘shop window’ of information featuring digitised documents from the National Archives collection.
- Documenting a Democracy - Australia's founding documents telling the story of our democracy.
