Three terms come up when you follow Australian government decisions: policy monitoring, media monitoring and legal research. They answer different questions and work from different material. This guide explains what each one watches, what it produces, when you need it and how the three fit together. It uses the terms as defined below.
What is policy monitoring?
Policy monitoring follows the documents and dates of government decisions. Its raw material is official: bills, Acts, legislative instruments, consultation papers, committee inquiries and regulator announcements. The question it answers is what is changing, and by when.
Many of these items carry dates that matter. A consultation has a closing date. Treasury's consultations page (opens in a new tab), for example, lists open and closed consultations with their closing dates and shows how many days are left for open ones. A legislative instrument is tabled in Parliament and can be disallowed within limits counted in sitting days (see what is a disallowable legislative instrument (opens in a new tab)). A committee inquiry can receive written submissions and then reports to Parliament, according to the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO). A new Act starts on the date it sets or, if it sets none, generally on the 28th day after Royal Assent.
Its outputs are alerts, briefings and calendars of closing dates, each pointing back to the official source.
What is media monitoring?
Media monitoring follows coverage. It tracks what news outlets, broadcasters and social media say about a topic, an organisation or a person, and who is saying it. The question it answers is what is being said, and how it is being received. Its outputs are coverage reports and alerts on mentions.
A news report describes a decision. The exact wording, dates and conditions are in the official document, such as the Act, the instrument or the consultation paper. That is why teams that act on a government decision go back to the official source.
What is legal research?
Legal research establishes what the law says on a particular matter and how it applies. It reads the law itself, in its current and past forms, and the decisions of courts about it. The question it answers is what the law requires, and from when.
Two features of the official record matter here. The Federal Register of Legislation holds authorised versions of Commonwealth legislation, which the Register says courts treat as reliable unless shown otherwise. It also holds compilations, which show a law's text as amended up to a particular date, so you can read what the law said on a given day.
Legal research is usually done to advise on a specific situation. Policy monitoring tells you a rule is changing. Legal research, and legal advice, tell you what it means for you.
How do the three compare?
- Policy monitoring. Watches: bills, Acts, instruments, consultations, inquiries and announcements. Asks: what is changing, and when? Output: alerts, briefings and deadline calendars linked to official sources.
- Media monitoring. Watches: news, broadcast and social coverage. Asks: what is being said, and by whom? Output: coverage reports and mention alerts.
- Legal research. Watches: the authorised text of the law and court decisions. Asks: what does the law require, and from when? Output: advice or a written opinion on a specific matter.
Which one do you need?
It depends on the question you are trying to answer.
- A consultation closes in three weeks and you must decide whether to respond: policy monitoring. See how to make a submission to a government consultation (opens in a new tab).
- A minister's comments are making news and you want to see how they are landing: media monitoring.
- A regulation has commenced and you must work out what it requires of your business: legal research, working from the authorised version.
- You need to know whether an instrument could still be disallowed: policy monitoring, using the tabling and disallowance dates on the Federal Register of Legislation.
- You need to brief your board on this week's policy changes in your sector: policy monitoring.
How do the three work together?
A single change often passes through all three. A news report flags a proposal. Policy monitoring finds the consultation paper or exposure draft and its closing date, and you may make a submission. If the proposal becomes a bill and then an Act, policy monitoring follows its stages and its commencement date (see how a bill becomes law in Australia (opens in a new tab)). Legal research then works out what the Act and the instruments made under it require.
What should you look for in a policy-monitoring service?
These questions help you compare services:
- Does each item link to its official source, so you can check it?
- Does the service say which jurisdictions and bodies it covers, and which it doesn't?
- Does it label an item's status, such as in force, proposed or commentary?
- How often does it collect from each source, and does it respect each site's terms of use?
- Are summaries written by AI, and are they checked against the source before you see them?
- Does it record the dates that matter, such as closing dates, commencement dates and disallowance windows?
We Policy Advisor (opens in a new tab) is one example of policy monitoring. It is an Australian policy and regulatory monitoring service from We. Communications. It collects bills, legislation, regulations, consultations and announcements from official and stakeholder sources covering the federal, New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland governments, plus a first set of sources from Western Australia and South Australia. It rates each item for 15 sectors, links each item to its official source and answers questions with cited sources through its AI Advisor. Its database and AI models run in Australia. Federal bills still before Parliament aren't covered yet, and federal Acts appear once they have passed.
Some points are based on content from the Federal Register of Legislation at 20 October 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government legislation please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the official source before you rely on any summary, and get legal advice for decisions that depend on the law.
Questions
Is policy monitoring the same as media monitoring?
No. Policy monitoring follows official documents and dates, such as bills, instruments and consultations. Media monitoring follows news and social coverage. A news report describes a decision, but the wording and dates are in the official document.
Do I still need legal research if I use policy monitoring?
Yes, for questions about what a law requires of you. Policy monitoring shows what is changing and when. Legal research and legal advice interpret the law for your situation.
Which official sources does policy monitoring draw on in Australia?
Common official sources include the Federal Register of Legislation for Acts, legislative instruments and gazette notices, parliaments' websites for bills and committee inquiries, and agencies' consultation pages. State and territory governments publish their own gazettes and consultation pages.
Is a policy-monitoring service a substitute for legal advice?
No. A monitoring service reports what governments publish. Use the official source to check any summary, and get legal advice for decisions that depend on the law.
Sources
- Glossary (opens in a new tab), Federal Register of Legislation, Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Read on 20 Oct 2026.
- Gazettes (opens in a new tab), Federal Register of Legislation, Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Read on 20 Oct 2026.
- Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Compilation No. 39, 28 March 2026), section 3A (opens in a new tab), Federal Register of Legislation, Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Read on 20 Oct 2026.
- Legislation Act 2003 (Compilation No. 39, 24 February 2019), sections 38 and 42 (opens in a new tab), Federal Register of Legislation, Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Read on 20 Oct 2026.
- Consultations (opens in a new tab), The Treasury. Read on 20 Oct 2026.
- Parliamentary committees (opens in a new tab), Parliamentary Education Office. Read on 20 Oct 2026.
AI-generated summaries. Verify against the official source. Not legal advice.