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AustLII

austlii.edu.au

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Spec score 7.9 #11 of 31 in Legal Research Software

What it is

AustLII is a free web library for Australasian legal information, established in 1995 by the law faculties of UTS and UNSW and supported by the AustLII Foundation Ltd. Its collections include cases, legislation, treaties, law journals, law reform reports, and other legal content from Australia and New Zealand, including New Zealand material from the New Zealand Legal Information Institute. Users can search all databases together, search them separately, filter by jurisdiction, or work within one database. Search syntax includes Boolean connectors, proximity operators, truncation, and phrase searching. The integrated LawCite citator follows citations to Australian cases, journal articles, and other materials across AustLII and collaborating legal information institutes. Document pages offer print, download, and cited-by links. The responsive site is intended for current device types. AustLII identifies law librarians, academic researchers, practitioners, government officers, and policy advisers among its users.

Spec sheet

Purpose
AustLII provides free online access to Australasian legal materials.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Founded
1995Read 28 Sep 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Collections
Its databases include cases, legislation, treaties, law journals, law reform reports and other content.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Document tools
Document pages provide links including print, download and cited-by functions.Read 7 Oct 2026 · www5.austlii.edu.au
LawCite
The integrated LawCite citator tracks citations to Australian cases, journal articles and other content across AustLII and collaborating international legal information institutes.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Limits
The user guide notes that annual and alphabetical tables of contents may not be available for some databases.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Mobile access
AustLII describes its website as responsive and designed for use across current device types.Read 7 Oct 2026 · www5.austlii.edu.au
Organization
AustLII was established in 1995 by the law faculties of UTS and UNSW and is supported by the AustLII Foundation Ltd.Read 7 Oct 2026 · classic.austlii.edu.au
Scope
AustLII includes New Zealand content from the New Zealand Legal Information Institute.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Search
Users can search databases together, separately, by jurisdiction or individually.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Search syntax
AustLII search supports Boolean connectors, proximity operators, truncation and phrase searches.Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au
Training
AustLII has offered free training sessions to support users transitioning to its website.Read 7 Oct 2026 · www5.austlii.edu.au
Users
AustLII training materials identify law librarians, academic researchers, legal practitioners, government officers and policy advisors among its intended audiences.Read 7 Oct 2026 · classic.austlii.edu.au

Plans and prices

AustLII public legal information library Free Free access to public legal materials Read 7 Oct 2026 · austlii.edu.au

Every AustLII plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free access to Australasian legal materials
  • Australia and New Zealand jurisdiction coverage
  • Boolean, proximity, truncation, and phrase searches
  • LawCite citation tracking
  • Print, download, and cited-by document links

Limits

  • Some annual contents tables may be unavailable
  • Some alphabetical contents tables may be unavailable
  • No docket search

Who it suits

It suits legal researchers, practitioners, librarians, academics, government officers, and policy advisers needing free Australian or New Zealand materials. Its search and citation tools support both broad and jurisdiction-specific research.

Verdict

AustLII provides broad, free legal collections with flexible search and citation functions. Readers should account for the documented contents-table gaps when navigating some databases.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to AustLIIAll alternatives →