Social Work : Legal & Parliamentary Sources

Parliamentary sources relate to many areas of social work practice. Parliaments enact laws, debate policy and proposed legislation.  Parliaments also review, report on and investigate many policy issues through parliamentary committees.  Parliamentary debates, reports from committees, bills digests may all provide information on significant changes in policy that may  have  impact on social work. The federal and all state and territory parliaments disseminate a range of information via their websites.

 The Parliamentary Library produces research publications for Parliamentarians.  These publications include overviews of policy areas and chronologies of key Social welfare provisions. Both are useful  for locating background information on a policy area.

Legislation relates to many areas of Social Work and policy practice. Landmarks and significant changes in the policy environment are often reflected in new or revised legislation; a new or amended act may have great significance for a policy area and the impact it has on a group of people. Case law may also result in or influence changes in policy. The legal encyclopedias below will help you locate significant legislation and cases.  

Fisher Research, Fisher Short Loan and the Law Library collections have relevant and current titles (including eBooks) on social work and the law in the Australian and international context. Use the following subject headings when searching the Library's collections: