Subject and Research Guides: Law: Commentary

Commentary on environmental topics

Legal commentaries provide detailed information on a particular subject area.

They often provide a mix of commentary, legislation (full text or extracts) and key cases. Hard-copy commentaries are also known as Loose-leaf services - this format allows the commentary to be quickly and easily updated as the law changes.

The examples in this Guide highlight two major publishers of legal commentaries in Australia - Westlaw AU by Thomson Reuters & Lexis Advance Pacific.

To find other commentaries read the Commentary page under Fundamentals of Legal Research or use MultiSearch.

MultiSearch
MultiSearch searches across a number of databases held by the library, as well as the catalogue.
Go to Advanced Search, in the Search box type environmental law australia > change the drop-down from Any to In Subject > View the results

Westlaw Australia This link opens in a new window
Westlaw Australia is an online Australian legal information service provided by Thomson Reuters. Access is provided to the Australian authorised law reports such as Commonwealth Law Reports. Access is also provided to the full-text of a collection of Australian law journals, as well as commentaries on various areas of law.

Commentaries provide legislation relevant to the subject, along with extensive commentary and case summaries. Key environmental commentaries available in Westlaw include:

Lexis+ Australia This link opens in a new window
Local government planning and environment NSW Volume A This link opens in a new window
Local Government Planning and Environment NSW Volume A contains the full text of the Local Government Act 1993 plus regulations, cognate legislation and related legislation.
Local government planning and environment NSW Volume B This link opens in a new window
Local Government Planning and Environment NSW Volume B contains the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and related regulations; State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs) and a list of the Regional Environmental Plans; coastal protection and heritage legislation; clean air and water legislation; noise, pollution and waste control legislation; related legislation, including the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the Native Vegetation Conservation Act 1997; Land and Environment Court Act 1979 and related regulations and rules; land and environment notes.
Local government planning and environment NSW Volume C This link opens in a new window
Local Government Planning and Environment NSW Volume C is a volume of commentary relating to the legislation contained in Volumes A and B.
Local government planning and environment NSW Voume D This link opens in a new window
Contains the following: Local Government Act 1993 -- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 -- Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 -- Land and Environment Court Act 1979 -- Land and Environment Court Rules 2007
Land and environment notes This link opens in a new window

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Select Law Journal Library > Browse by: Subject. On the following page select the subject heading Environment/Conservation Law to view all journal titles on this subject.
Thomson Reuters Westlaw This link opens in a new window
Select Directory at the top of the page > Topical practice areas > Environmental law > Law reviews, legal texts & periodicals > then select a collection to search within > eg Law reviews, texts & bar journals combined.
Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability This link opens in a new window
This international, interdisciplinary work focuses on solutions drawn from the natural, physical and social sciences to discuss environmental law and ethics, green business practices, regional sustainability issues, and resource and ecosystem management.
Lexis This link opens in a new window
For US material select the Environment tab at the top of the page > then select a collection to search within > eg Search analysis, law reviews & journals. For other jurisdictions select International Law > Search law reviews & journals and select a title to view the content.