This section gives you tips on searching.
To search, enter text in the space or spaces provided and click the Search button.
The website will return a list of titles that match your search request. To view a document in the list, click on its title. After you have opened a document, you can use Next result and Previous result to navigate from hit to hit.
There are three types of search: Quick search, Guided search, or Advanced search. Quick search searches either the titles or content of current legislation only; Guided search guides you through the process; Advanced search offers more ways to narrow down your search.
Search within is available when you are viewing a legislative document. To search, select Search within ..., then enter text in the space provided and click Search. The website will return a list of results that match your search request. To view a result in the list, click on the bold heading above it. You can navigate between results using Next result and Previous result.
Searching is done across fragments, not whole items of legislation.
Searching looks for words actually used in the legislation, rather than searching by subject. For example, searching for divorce and dissolution marriage will return two different sets of results, although the subject may be the same.
Searching is not case-sensitive. However, searching looks for the exact letters you typed. For example, a search for director will not find directors. Variants such as plurals can be found using stemming.
Supplementary Order Papers are listed on the versions page of the associated Bill. It is not possible to locate a Supplementary Order Paper by using the search or browse functions. To search for text within a Supplementary Order Paper, first navigate to it and then select Search within this SOP.
Note that it is not possible to search text that appears within a graphic. See I can't find some text by searching—why not?
basic key words If you enter words separated by spaces, the search will find fragments that contain all of the words. For example, searching for apple pear finds fragments that contain both apple and pear but not those that only contain apple.
phrases If you enter words within quote marks, the search will find the words as they appear within the quotes. For example, searching for “green apple” finds fragments that contain green apple but not green domestic apple.
Boolean searching If you use certain words between your other search words, the search will use them to change its behaviour.
These words are:
To actually search for the words and, or, or not, make them part of a phrase.
fuzzy searching The fuzzy search symbol % finds words even if they are spelt incorrectly. For example, ba%nana will find bannana and banana.
parentheses You can use parentheses (ie brackets) to make your searches more specific. Parentheses group search words into larger units. For example:
(apple or pear) and orange finds fragments with either both apple and orange, or both pear and orange
apple or (pear and orange) finds fragments with either just apple, or both pear and orange.
proximity searching This finds a word or phrase within a certain number of words of another word or phrase. For example, searching for apple peach w/10 peach cobbler finds fragments that contain the words apple and peach within 10 words of peach and cobbler.
stemming The symbol ~ enables variations on endings to be found. For example, apply~ will find variations like applies, applied, and applying.
wildcard The wildcard symbol ? enables a single letter to be replaced, and the wildcard symbol * enables multiple letters to be replaced. For example, searching for appl? finds apply or apple, while appl* finds application as well. Avoid starting your search with a wildcard symbol.
putting them together You can use as many special search terms as are necessary to narrow your search. For example, (“domestic apple” and (pesticide or “orchard spray”)) not organic will find fragments that contain the phrase domestic apple and either the word pesticide or the phrase orchard spray as long as they do not contain the word organic.
symbols Avoid using symbols in your search terms, except for the special search symbols given above.
To make search results most useful, searches are performed at fragment level, rather than across an entire document. So rather than searching, for example, an entire Act, the Act is split into its many fragments and each is searched individually. Examples of fragments are: