Both federal and state governments provide a wealth of information that is freely available. Government content is viewed as a reliable source of information, and can be identified by the web URL containing “.gov”. Many Government websites have specific sections often referred to as publications, statistics, resources and/or research, which are a great source of financial, demographic, policy and industry information.
You may already be familiar with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) (opens in new tab), Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (opens in new tab) or the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) (opens in new tab). Government websites are also a reliable source of legal information, including the most reliable source of legislation (acts), at the Federal Register of Legislation (opens in new tab) or the respective state equivalent.
Professional associations are a great way to network, find employment opportunities, and meet people in your chosen field. They are also a great source of industry information. Most professional associations will have a section specifically for freely available resources, some also have their own industry magazines. Have a look through the Professional Associations in your chosen field and see what sort of industry information you can find.
Each website might call their resource section something different. Look for terms including publications, resources, reports, news, downloads and media.
If you’re looking for short articles that cover current trends and industry news, written for other practitioners in the industry, and containing practical information – you want to find industry magazines. Also known as sector, trade or professional magazines, they are resources written by practitioners in the industry. Some are available in print and many have websites with online articles.
Some examples of industry magazines include:
