Australian Public Policy
in the University of Sydney Library

In order to examine public policy some of the following questions need to be answered:

Policy on what subject?
What sector of government is responsible: commonwealth or state government, parliament or the executive branch of government?
Is the policy based on the law, or some other authority?
What documents express this policy?

I What government departments and agencies are involved? What are their aims and functions?

DIRECTORIES

The latest issues of directories are kept in the Reference Collection as follows:

R354.9400025   COMMONWEALTH Government Directory.  Canberra
     7

(See also the detailed FOI volumes for each department at RL354.9400025/7 (1983-87) and in the annual reports of each agency. (1988+) See also the government directories of the states; eg.:

R354.944       New South Wales Government Directory.
   13          Sydney, Government Printing Office

R354.944       NSW Government Guide
    22         Sydney, Calcutt Watson (Loose-leaf)

R354.944       New South Wales Political and Governmental Directory.
 27            Sydney, Political Reference Service Group.  (Loose-leaf)

R354.940005    National Guide to Government and the Bureaucracy, 
 5             Melbourne, Information Australia

Earlier issues are in the Research Library.

II Where does the government record and publish its own policy?

MONOGRAPH CATALOGUES

Books, ad-hoc reports, reports of commissions of inquiry etc will be listed by the agency which is their author, in the Online and Card catalogues.

Check the online catalogue first via an author search.

You should omit punctuation in the online catalogue, and use DEPT rather than DEPARTMENT if appropriate.

For example, AUSTRALIA DEPT OF HEALTH
or even DEPT OF HEALTH

For items received prior to 1971, check the author/title card catalogue, first under name of country or state and then the official name, e.g.,

Australia. Department of Trade
Australia. Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration

Note that the punctuation is important here, and that Australia. files before all other authors and titles commencing AUSTRALIA . . . .

Ad hoc reports often are known by the name of the chairman, e.g., DIX Report.

If you have trouble finding a report via the online catalogue, you should try a keyword search. Click on the the link Words from the Title, Series, Corporate Author and then type keywords from the name of the agency or department in the box.

Ask at the Information Desk if you don't know the exact title.

SERIALS CATALOGUES

Check under the same sorts of headings in the Online Catalogue and Serials Card Catalogue for the annual reports of departments, together with any other serial publications they issue (such as newsletters, technical reports etc.) e.g.,

Australia. Department of Health
Annual report on the operation of the registered medical and hospital benefit organisations.

Check the online catalogue first. If the item is not listed then check the Serials Card Catalogue. (Eventually, all serials will be listed the Online Catalogue).

Remember that many reports are tabled in parliament and are part of the Parliamentary Papers collections - see later section of this guide.

POLICY STATEMENTS, PRESS RELEASES

354.9405       AUSTRALIAN Government Digest.   Canberra, 1972-75.
   3

continued by:

R354.9404      COMMONWEALTH Record.  Canberra, 1976-July 1987
 2

continued by:

R354.94005     Ministerial Document Service
 8             Canberra:  AGPS, July 1988 -

This service is a daily compilation of press statements and speeches from government, opposition and minor parties. A useful source of policy information.

R354.9440313   Government News Releases
 3             Sydney:  Premier's Media Unit, 1989 - 93

Similar to Ministerial Document Service, this reproduces press releases of the NSW Government.

Also check the monograph and serial catalogues under the names of political parties for platforms, conference proceedings and policy statements.

Note that many government departments and agencies now make press releases and similar information available on the the World Wide Web. Use the Government Internet Guide to locate the home pages of these bodies, or use one of the search engines on the Library Home Page.

STATUTES, ACTS, BILLS, RULES, REGULATIONS

R346           Australia.  [Laws etc]
  6

Australian acts are published individually and numbered consecutively within each calendar year.

At the end of each year they are republished in annual bound volumes.

In addition, there are two sets arranged alphabetically:

1. Bound consolidated set 1901-1973

2. Collection of pamphlet reprints incorporating amendments

R346           New South Wales [Laws etc]
  9

NSW Acts are arranged similarly to Australian Acts. There is a consolidation for the years 1824-1957 in the Research Library.

Bills and Explanatory Memoranda for Australia and NSW are kept in the Law Library.

To identify legislation, use indexes such as:

R346           ALPHABETICAL table of acts passed from 1901 to 1987
  6            Canberra, 1988

R346           Alphabetical List of Acts
  9            Sydney, NSW Legislative Council, 1985

R346           WICKS, B.M  Subject index to the acts and regulations 
  6            of the Commonwealth of Australia
               Canberra:  Libra Books, 1975+

R48.944        WICKS, B.M.  Subject Index to the Acts of New South Wales.  
 1             Sydney:  Law Book Co., 1982+

R340.05        AUSTRALIAN Legal Monthly Digest.  Sydney, v.1, 1947+
 10
and Law

Remember that the full text of legislation and other legal materials is available on the World Wide Web. This can be found via the Government Internet Guide.

DEBATES (Hansards)

G              AUSTRALIA.  Parliament.  Parliamentary debates.
AUS            Canberra.   1901+
D

G              NEW SOUTH WALES, Parliament.  Parliamentary debates.
NSW            Sydney, 1879+
D

Note: recent copies of Federal and NSW Debates are in Current Serials.

Consult debates (Hansards) for a record of discussion in Parliament after a bill has been introduced.

Remember that the full text of Federal and NSW Parliamentary Debates and other parliamentary materials such as bills are available on the World Wide Web. This can be found via the Government Internet Guide.

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS

G              AUSTRALIA.  Parliament.  Parliamentary papers.
AUS            Canberra, 1901+
P

G              NEW SOUTH WALES.  Parliament.  Joint volumes of 
NSW            papers presented.
P              Sydney, 1904+

Note: recent years in Current Serials.

Any statutory body required to report to Parliament is likely to have its report printed in the Parliamentary Papers series. These sets include annual reports of departments and ad-hoc reports by commissions and committees of inquiry.

STATISTICS

R015.940904    AUSTRALIAN Bureau of Statistics.  Catalogue of publications.
 3             Canberra, 1965+

A full set of ABS publications can be found in Fisher Library. Recent years (1991+) are located in Current Serials.

See also references in other publications, such as Ministerial Document Service and annual reports.

Useful summaries of statistics are found in the yearbooks published by the A.B.S for Australia and each state. Analyses of each major area of government are also provided.

The Library also has a full set of ABS publications produced by the ABS Central Office from 1901-1993. These are in a microfiche set at MIC 319.4/68 in the Fisher Library Audio-Visual area. Use the accompanying Catalogue of Official Statistical Publications 1901-1993 as an index to the set. For publications dated 1994 onwards are available on CD-ROM. Ask at the Fisher Library Information Desk for access to the CD-ROM. Remember that recent issues (dating back 1-3) years are usually available in the Current Serials Area on Level 3 of Fisher Library.

The Library also has extensive Census materials including the 1986 and 1991 Australian censuses on CDROM. Ask at the Information Desk for access to these.

III What is written about Australian Public Policy?

SUBJECT SEARCHES

For books on the subject (other than those by known agencies or individuals as author) consult the Online Catalogue under appropriate headings. For the subject of public health, some examples are:

Health facilities
Health planning
Health services administration
Insurance, Health
Public health
Public health administration
Medical policy

Look for a subheading - Australia or New South Wales where applicable.

Some policy areas are found by first checking the heading Australia. For example,

Australia - economic policy
Australia - cultural policy
Australia - population policy
Australia - social policy

Use the Online Catalogue for items received after 1971, and the subject microfiche for items received prior to 1971.

More headings are listed at the end of this guide.

Apart from the Library's catalogues other books may be located in:

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

R015.940945    AUSTRALIAN Government Publications. 
  1            Canberra. v.1, 1952+

R015 .940904   AUSTRALIAN National Bibliography.
 2             Canberra.  v.1, 1961+

R016.3000994   MAYER, Henry. A research guide to Australian 
 2             politics and cognate subjects (ARGAP)
               by Henry Mayer with Margaret Bettison and Judy Keene.
               Melb.,  Cheshire, 1976

This is supplemented by:

R0160163       MAYER, Henry.ARGAP 2: a second research guide to 
   1           Australian politics and
               cognate subjects
               by Henry Mayer and Liz Kirby,
               Melb.,Longman Cheshire, 1984

R016.3092      MONIE, Joanna.   Social  policy   and  its  
   3           administration:   a  survey  of  the Australian
               literature, 1950-1975.
               Sydney, Pergamon Press, 1977.

Bibliographies may also be located in footnotes and cited reference from other books and articles, and via the subheading `bibliography' in the subject catalogues.

PERIODICAL INDEXES

[Items marked * are also available electronically.]

R994           AUSTRALIAN Public Affairs Information Service (
APAIS)*
 21            Canberra.   1948+

R050           INDEX to Current Information (Alert)
 48            Canberra.   1973-93

Some other abstracting and indexing services useful in the field of public policy in general are:

R305           Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin (
PAIS)*
 21            New York, 1915+                 

R320.5         Political Science Abstracts
 40            New York, 1965+

R320.016       International Political Science Abstracts
  2            Oxford, 1951+

R016.35        Sage Public Administration Abstracts
 3             Newbury Park, 1985+

For specialised areas consult:

R305           Sociological Abstracts* (SocioFile)
 23            New York, 1955+

R361.05        Social Work Research and Abstracts
  1            New York, 1965+

R016.301       Urban Affairs Abstracts
 6             Washington, 1974+

R658.315       Work Related Abstracts
 4             Detroit, 1976+

R016.30131     Environment Abstracts*
 3             New York, 1974+

(indexed by Environment Index, R016.30131/5)

ELECTRONIC DATABASES

The library has a range of databases which can provide references on public policy. See the items marked with an asterisk (*) in the section above. In particular, refer to APAIS and PAIS which deal specifically with public policy.

NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPER INDEXES

The Library acquires a variety of overseas and local newspapers. In general, recent issues are in Current Serials (i.e. last three months or so) and back issues are held on microfilm in the Audiovisual Area. Use the Serials catalogues to locate the call numbers of back issues.

Some newspaper indexes are:

R079.9441      Sydney Morning Herald Index
    7          1927-1960

R079.9441      Sydney Morning Herald Index
  6            1961 - 1978 (microfiche copy of the State Library SMH index)

R079.9441      Sydney Morning Herald Index
 15            1979 - 1987 (microfiche copy of the State Library SMH index) 
               1996 - (available in full-text format as an electronic database
               in Fisher Library.)

R072.1         The Times Index
 13
 
R071.471       New York Times Index
 8             1851+

Note:
These indexes are all in the Audiovisual Area.
For economic, financial and business press information use:

R016.3380994   Australasian Business Intelligence* (ABIX)
 1             1981 +

A major source of political information in newspapers can be found in:

MIC 994.05     Australian Public Affairs collection (1952+)
 35            Canberra:  Australian National University, 1986+

This is a clippings file from Australian newspapers which has been microfiched. A guide to the subject content of the file accompanies the microfiche set.

BOOK REVIEW SOURCES

R015.73        Book review digest
 9             New York, H.W. Wilson Co., 1913-

R028.105       Book review index
 3             Detroit, Gale Research Inc., 1966-

R028.105       Index to Australian book reviews
 4             Adelaide, Libraries Board of South Australia, 1965-81

R028.1         Combined retrospective index to book reviews
 12            in scholarly journals 1886-1974
               Arlington, Carrollton Press, 1979

R300.16        Social sciences citation index
 36            Philadelphia, I.S.I., 1969-

R016.3         Social sciences index
 4             New York, H. W Wilson, 1975-

015.94         Australian Book Review
               Kensington Park, S.A  1961-1973.

015.94         Australian Book Review
 12            Melbourne, National Book Council (Aust), 1978-

Some extra subject headings on Public Policy which may be helpful:

Economic policy
Environment policy
Military policy
Science and state
Social policy
Urban policy
Education and state
Public policy management
Policy sciences
Decision making
Political planning
Welfare economics
Housing policy
Medical policy
Population policy
Land reform
Public administration
Technology and state
Australia - Social policy

Check also the two volume set entitled Library of Congress Subject Headings which is kept near the Information Desk.

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Credits

This is a guide to the government publications held in the University of Sydney Library. Printed versions can be obtained from the Information Desk at Fisher Library.

This document was created by Barbara Brady and updated by Ray Penn. It is being constantly revised. Any comments or suggestions should be directed to: Ray Penn, Government Publications Librarian at: r.penn@library.usyd.edu.au.

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Australian Public Policy in the University of Sydney Library

I What government departments and agencies are involved?

II Where does the government record and publish its own policy?

III What is written about public policy?

IV Appendices

I What government departments and agencies are involved? What are their aims and functions?

DIRECTORIES

II Where does the government record and publish its own policy?

III What is written about Australian Public Policy?

PERIODICAL INDEXES

BOOK REVIEW SOURCES

Other library publications dealing with government documents

Credits

Australian Public Policy
in the University of Sydney Library