Updating Acts
Acts are amended over time to reflect changes in government policy, societal attitudes, and the outcomes of court cases. Some Acts (for example those dealing with taxation) are amended frequently, others much less frequently.
The easiest way to know if your Act is up to date with the latest legislative activity is to use a reliable source for legislation such as:
- Federal Register of Legislation for Commonwealth legislation
- Victorian Legislation for Victorian legislation - click on In force
Locate your Act and ensure it's the latest version. Check the Endnotes at the end of the Act to see the amendments included in the version.
Caution
If you Google the Act, it is very likely you will get linked to an older version which does not incorporate all amendments.
Locating Australian Legislation
This short video will demonstrate how to locate Australian legislation when you already know the title.
Federal Register of Legislation - Commonwealth Acts
Use the 'Acts' menu on the homepage to locate the Commonwealth Act by title.
On the Act's page, you can navigate using the Table of Contents, download a PDF copy, or click 'View Series' to see information on related Bills, amendments, historical versions etc.
At the end of the Act, you can use Endnote 3 and Endnote 4 to trace back any amendments made to the Act.
Victorian Legislation
At Victorian Legislation select 
and then 
Example: Find the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic).
At Acts in force, select:
Click on 
Prefer the Authorised version:
Historical versions of the Act are also available:
Use the margin notes and Table of Amendments (in the Endnotes of the Act) to trace amendments to the Act.
