Most decisions of courts are not published. Only those which are considered by the editors of law reports to establish new legal principles or are from superior courts such as the High Court of Australia and are, therefore, binding on lower courts, are published. A Decision is the determination reached by a court or tribunal after hearing a case or an issue in dispute. A Judgment is the decision of a court as to the rights of parties in an action brought before it, sometimes including the reasoning and any interpretation of phrases in legislation or awards which led the judge to the decision. A Trial is a civil or criminal court proceeding at first instance.
Case law is the principles of law established by judicial decisions rather than by legislation.
An Administrative tribunal is a statutory body responsible for extrajudicial settlement of disputes and hearing of appeals in particular areas of government concern, eg the Trade Practices Tribunal. The Library holds a comprehensive collection of law reports published in Australia from 1825. A large collection of reports from England is held from 1865. International law is represented through the reports of international tribunals such as the International Court of Justice. In order to locate a judgment it is necessary to obtain the title of the law report in which it is published.