Australia was the first country in the world to be created as a result of a free vote of its people. Our constitutional documents chart the evolution of our nation, and demonstrate how legal documents can shape the lives of a people and the destiny of a continent.

These documents have been listed on UNESCO's Australian Memory of the World register. They include historic documents of 1900:

• UK Parliament’s Constitution Act
• the Royal Commission of Assent
• Royal Proclamation of Inauguration Day
• Letters Patent for the Office of Australian Governor-General

And they include other documents that affected Australian law either directly or indirectly:

• Pacific Island Labourers Act – 1901
• Immigration Restriction Act – 1901
• Seat of Government Acceptance Act – 1909
• Yirrkala bark petitions – 1963
• Mabo judgement – 1992

Documenting a Democracy website includes a wealth of information about the history and significance of the constitutional documents.

These priceless documents record the process and stand testament to the success of our grand democratic experiment.