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Royal Commissions / Inquiries

This page contains a select list of indexes to royal commissions and government inquiries. For comprehensive research, see also Committees, Parliamentary papers and Department / agency publications.

Major Government reports are indexed in Australian databases available via Informit.

Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry, 1902-2004
includes all Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry (the nomenclature varies) appointed by the Australian Government from 1902, under the provisions of the Royal Commissions Act 1902. It does not include Royal Commissions appointed by Australian state or territory governments, unless the Australian Government was also involved.

Library holdings

Borchardt's checklists provide a summary of reports included and are in chronological order with author / title / subject index at rear. Only reports tabled in parliament are included ie select and standing committee reports are not. Abstracts provide background. Volume and page / place number as well as parliamentary paper number and year provided.

  • Borchardt, D.H. (1958, 1973), Checklist of Royal Commissions, Select Committees of Parliament and Boards of Inquiry.
    • Part 1: 1900-1950
    • Part 1A: 1950-1960
  • Borchardt, D.H. (1986), Checklist of Royal Commissions, Select Committees of Parliament and Boards of Inquiry Commonwealth, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, 1960-1980 and South Australia, 1970-1980, La Trobe University, Bundoora.
  • Borchardt, D.H. (1990), Supplement to Checklist of royal commissions, select committees of parliament and boards of inquiry, 1856-1980, La Trobe University Library, Bundoora.
  • Hagger, J. (1980), Consolidated index to the Checklists of Royal Commissions, Select Committees of Parliament and Boards of Inquiry, held in the Commonwealth of Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, 1856-1960, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Marshall, J. (1990), The literature on royal commissions, select committees of Parliament and boards of inquiry held in Australia 1856-1980 : a select bibliography, La Trobe University Library, Melbourne.
This publication expands on the work of Borchardt by providing references to all the comment in newspapers, books and journals surrounding major government inquiries and commissions, thus placing them in historical context.

Cushing, F. (1984- ), Australian federal government inquiries, Dept. of the Parliamentary Library, Canberra.
Comprehensive list of inquiries by the Federal government since December 1972, including reports of committee's, commissions of inquiry, task forces and reviews. Both reports tabled, and those NOT tabled in Parliament are included. It does not, however, cover reports of parliamentary committees or interdepartmental committees eg standing committees, parliamentary committees etc. Well indexed with an author / chairperson, title and popular title / subject index and is arranged chronologically.

The Federal government : a chronology of events and decisions with references, (1983-1995), Canberra.
Annual publication, gives a valuable summary of the years events and activities at the federal level. It includes entries for the major reports presented to parliament and legislation placed before parliament. A subject index to the chronology and a separate author index to the citations are included. The summaries of reports and background information leading to reports and decisions make this a unique reference.

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