Government documents

Government documents are the official publications of the federal and state governments and their agencies. Governments are major creators and providers of information in a society. They are a good source for economic and demographic statistics as well as reports on a wide range of issues. They are also a valuable source for electoral and legislative issues.

While print is the traditional format, government documents are becoming more readily available online via government web sites.

Legislation

The term 'legislation' refers to statutes (also known as acts) which are laws debated and passed by parliament, and to delegated (or subordinate) legislation which are created by bodies delegated with parliamentary authority. Examples of delegated legislation include regulations, bylaws and rules, they provide finer details of the law than statutes and are not debated by parliament.