It is orthodoxy in Australia that when interpreting statutory text,
attention turns to the words ‘in context’. This context is taken to
include extrinsic context, including extrinsic materials.
Parliamentary materials represent a significant category of such
extrinsic matter. These are materials produced as part of the
enactment of the statute in Parliament, such as second reading
speeches, explanatory memoranda, and committee reports. But
although readers of statutes regularly refer to parliamentary
materials and attribute weight to them for the interpretative task,
most readers know little about them. This article examines
parliamentary materials for federal legislation. The aim of this
examination is to highlight factors that may be considered when
assessing such materials as interpretative aids. The article reflects
preliminary research done as part of a wider research project on
the relationship between the legislative process and statutory
interpretatio