Since its establishment in 1901, the Parliamentary Library has served as a trusted source of information, analysis and advice for the Australian Parliament.
Our services are confidential, impartial, and offered on an equal basis to all parliamentarians, parliamentary committees, and to staff acting on their behalf.
The Library is part of the Department of Parliamentary Services.
We offer:
- Customised and confidential research and analysis for parliamentarians, parliamentary committees, and their staff
- Specialised print and digital collections developed to meet the needs of parliamentary clients
- News and media monitoring services
- Statistics and mapping services
- A wide range of publicly available research publications including Bills Digests which provide an independent analysis of legislation before the Parliament
- Access to historical information about parliamentarians and the Parliament
Governance and Structure
Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library
The Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library (JSCPL) is established each Parliament to advise the Presiding Officers (the Speaker of the House of the Representatives and the President of the Senate) on matters relating to the Library.
Parliamentary Librarian
The Parliamentary Service Act 1999 establishes the office of the Parliamentary Librarian. The Librarian reports to the Presiding Officers and to the Parliament in respect of their statutory functions and also to the JSCPL.
Mr Steven Fox was appointed Parliamentary Librarian on 18 September 2023 for a 5 year term. He was most recently Assistant Director-General Collection Management at the National Archives of Australia.
Structure
The Library’s organisational structure comprises:
- Office of the Parliamentary Librarian
- Research Branch
- Library Collections and Databases Branch.