A Law report series is a collection of judgments compiled and published on a periodic basis. The most important cases from each year, as determined by the publisher, are included for publication. Law report series can be generalist or subject specific.
Authorised vs unauthorised reports
Authorised reports
- Approved by the relevant court
- Considered the official version of the case
- Must be used if available
Example:
- Commonwealth Law Reports (CLR) – authorised reports of High Court decisions
Unauthorised reports
- Not officially approved, but still valuable sources of case law
- May contain cases not included in authorised series
Example:
- Australian Law Reports (ALR) – includes decisions from multiple courts
Finding law reports
You can access law reports through a number of platforms. Each database may contain different report series, so it’s a good idea to check more than one if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
Key places to search:
- Westlaw AU – extensive coverage of Australian report series, including many authorised reports.
- Lexis Advance – includes both authorised and unauthorised Australian and international law reports.
- Jade – free access to Australian case law, including parallel citations and citator features.
- AustLII – access to unreported judgments and some law report series.
- Library collection – use the title of the report series (e.g. Commonwealth Law Reports) to find it in the Library collection.
Use the tabs below to find the authorised law report series for each jurisdiction. These series contain the most important and officially recognised judgments.
Law reports jurisdictions
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Commonwealth law reports (CLR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the High Court of Australia (HCA) from 1903 onward.
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Federal court reports (FCR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Federal Court of Australia (FCA) from 1984 onward.
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Administrative law decisions (ALD) via Lexis+Authorised report series for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) from 1976 onward.
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
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Australian Capital Territory law reports (ACTLR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory from 2007 onward.
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Australian Capital Territory reports (ACTR) via Lexis+Authorised report series for the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory from 1973 to 2008.
New South Wales (NSW)
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New South Wales law reports (NSWLR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Superior Courts of NSW (NSW Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and Land and Environment Court) from 1971 onward.
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New South Wales reports (NSWR) via Council of Law Reporting NSWAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1960 to 1970.
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State reports of New South Wales (SR (NSW)) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1901 to 1959.
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Law reports New South Wales (LR (NSW)) via AustLIIAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 1856-1900.
Northern Territory (NT)
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Northern Territory law reports (NTLR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory from 1991 onward.
Queensland (Qld)
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Queensland reports (QdR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Queensland from 1958 onward.
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State reports Queensland (St R Qd) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Queensland from 1902 to 1957.
South Australia (SA)
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South Australian state reports (SASR) via WestlawAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of South Australia from 1971 onward.
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State reports, South Australia (SRSA) in the Law LibraryAuthorised reports for the Supreme Court of South Australia from 1921 to 1970.
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State reports, South Australia (SRSA) via AustLIISelect reports from 1920 to 1950 available.
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South Australian law reports (SALR) via AustLIIAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of South Australia from 1899 to 1920.
Tasmania (Tas)
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Tasmanian reports (Tas R) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Tasmania from 1979 onward.
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State reports Tasmania (Tas SR) via AustLIIAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Tasmania from 1941 to 1978.
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Tasmanian law reports (TLR) via AustLIIAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Tasmania from 1904 to 1940.
Victoria (Vic)
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Victorian reports (VR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Victoria from 1957 onward.
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Victorian law reports (VLR) via AustLIIAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Victoria from 1875 to 1956.
Western Australia (WA)
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Western Australian reports (WAR) in the Law LibraryAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1958 onward. Available in the Law Library from 1960 to 1982.
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Western Australian reports (WAR) via Westlaw AUAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1958 onward. Available in Westlaw AU from 1983 onward.
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Western Australian law reports (WALR) via AustLIIAuthorised report series for the Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1898 to 1958.
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The Incorporated Council of Law Reporting : ICLR.3 This link opens in a new windowAuthorised reports for the Superior and Appellate Courts of England and Wales from 1865, divided into four categories: Appeal Cases (AC),Chancery Division (Ch), Queen's Bench Division (QB) and Family (Fam).
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