Legal research

Law reform commissions

The Australian Law Reform Commission Act 1996 (Cth) established law reform bodies for the Australian States and the Commonwealth.

“Law reform is the modernisation of the law by: bringing it into accord with current conditions; the elimination of defects in the law; the simplification of the law; and the adoption of new or more effective methods for the administration of the law and the dispensation of justice” (Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary.

Commissions may publish:

  • Annual reports
  • Final reports
  • Discussion papers
  • Background papers
  • Journals

Their websites will usually advertise current inquiries or papers.

Australian Law Reform Commission

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) is a federal agency that reviews Australia’s laws to ensure they provide improved access to justice for all Australians by making laws and related processes more equitable, modern, fair and efficient. Choose the Publications tab and use the dropdown menu items to define your search, or search the whole website.

Australasian Law Reform Library (AustLII)

An alternative source for material from the ALRC website. This library includes databases of the law reform reports of all permanent Australian and New Zealand law reform bodies available on AustLII and NZLII. You can search or browse however not all reports are searchable as yet.

Law Reform Commission of Western Australia

Choose Publications and browse Reports and Papers on legal issues and/or Annual Reports. See their Current Projects.

More law reform bodies