RELATED LINKS

Commonwealth Gazettes fact sheet from the National Archives of Australia

Commonwealth gazettes in Trove

CHECK THE DATES

The Commonwealth of Australia Gazette has been published since1901. It was published weekly until 1973, although issues containing material requiring urgent gazettal could be published at any time. 

In 1974 the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette was divided into series. These series are bound separately. Up to this date the gazette was issued in one bound volume only.

The number and titles of the different series have varied since1974. You can find out more about these titles and dates at GovPubs.

Until the end of 1999, the Commonwealth Gazette also included ACT Public Service Employment Information (vacancies, appointments, etc).

INDEX

Save time, use an index to check your facts.

Indexes are published:

  • 1901 - 1973, annually
  • 1974 - 1981, quarterly
  • 1982 to present, quarterly, with annual cumulation

The indexes have either been bound with the gazette or published separately. Check GovPubs for National Library holdings.

From 1985 the index covers the current year's issues of the Government Notices, and related Special and Periodic series. All the other gazette series are not indexed.

Current 

Commonwealth Government Gazettes are available online, depending on the date you need.  Gazettes include:

  • The Government Notices Gazette, published each Wednesday (except during the Christmas/New Year period) and contains a large number of notices.
  • A Special Gazette, normally containing a single notice, and may be published at any time.
  • A Periodic Gazette, published irregularly, and may contain multiple notices relating to a specific subject area.

The Australian Government website has links to these and other Commonwealth Government Gazette series online.

Historical

Digitised copies of the Commonwealth Government Gazette from 1901 to 2012 are available online through Trove's Government Gazette zone.

Historical Gazettes published between 1 January 1901 and 31 December 2012 are also available as PDF files at the Federal Register of Legislation.

Where can you find Commonwealth Gazettes in print?

GovPubs is the Australian Publications Guide to Government Publications, including gazettes. You will find links to online gazettes as well as instructions on how to find those in print only.

When you have a reference for a gazette, you can locate it through the GovPubs list, and click on the link which shows the date you need.

Select NLA to find the "Amicus number" to use in the National Library Catalogue search. You can then request the item you need.

Case Study

Military awards and honours

I have found the following information at the Honours and Awards section of the Australian War Memorial's website:

Name:Reginald Arthur Sellars

Rank: Lieutenant

Unit: 4th Pnr Bn

Service: Army

Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918

Award: Mention in Despatches

Date of London Gazette: 11 July 1919

Location in London Gazette: Page 8833, position 45

Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 30 October 1919

Location in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Page 1653, position 88

How can I find the Gazette entry?

  • We can find the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette in the National Library Catalogue.
  • Check that we have the film for the required date: 30 October 1919. This information is shown in the 'Items/issues held' section at the bottom of the catalogue record.
  • Request the reel we need by clicking select for call number mfm N82. Add the required date to the online request form.
  • When the reel is delivered to the Reading Room, we can scroll through to find page 1653. 'Position 88' refers to the column entry in the gazette.

See also:  London Gazette

FEATURED RESOURCE

Papers relating to the Federation Campaign 1890-1901

Papers of Sir Edmund Barton

National Library of Australia, MS51

Series 6: Papers relating to the Federation Campaign 1890-1901

Item 1022: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 1, 1 January 1901

Manuscript Collection: nla.ms-ms51-6-1022-s1-e-cd

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 1, 1 January 1901, in which the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.

COPIES

In the Library, you can photocopy or photograph printed pages. Microfilmed gazettes can be printed or saved to a USB drive.

If you can't visit the Library, you can use the National Library's Copies Direct service to request a copy and have it sent to you via mail or email.

To place a Copies Direct order, simply click on the Order a Copy button located at the top of the catalogue record, and complete the online order form. Add as much information as you have:

  • gazette date
  • gazette number
  • page number
  • position number if applicable
  • title of proclamation or the name of the person concerned

Not sure where to start?

Ask a librarian

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Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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