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International government publications

The Library's extensive collection of international government publications can help you trace the impact of international public policy on Australia.

Government in Victoria and Australia works within a global context, linking to international bodies and the governments of other countries on everything from climate change and tracking crime to peace keeping, human rights and the law of the sea.

Australian law is influenced by the treaties we sign with other countries. We collect these conventions as well as works discussing the history and legal impact of treaties on whaling, Antarctica, human rights and nuclear disarmament.

We have collected publications from a vast range of international bodies, including the United Nations and League of Nations, the European Union, World Health Organization, International Labor Organisation, International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and the OECD. While historical collections are in print, we now provide access many of these publications online, including through United Nations official documents, the European Union and OECDiLibrary database. 

We also have strong collections of government publications from other countries, especially Great Britain, India, the United States and Canada. Some of these publications have a direct link to Victoria, notably the U.K. parliamentary papers, which include information on topics such as land in Port Phillip, Portland prison design and reports on conditions aboard emigrant ships. Even 20th-century reports and laws have influenced our own law making; for example, Roben's report on work safety.