get_legislation

Returns the metadata record for one title: ids, kind, status, portfolio, dates and an in_force block. Use it when you have a title's id and need its details, not its text.

Parameters

Notes

• legislation_id accepts a legislation id, a title id (for example C2004A03712) or a compilation id (for example C2026C00227).
• A title no longer in force is reduced to its name, dates, register id, source link and in_force: no summary, portfolio or figures.
• burden_score (0 to 1, higher is heavier) is computed in a periodic batch, not live. null means not yet computed for this title, not zero.
• made_under_count, where present, is how many in-force instruments the Federal Register records as made under this title. 0 is a count; the field is absent where not yet counted.

Request (get_legislation with {"legislation_id":"C2004A03712"})

Python SDK

import asyncio, os
from mcp import ClientSession
from mcp.client.streamable_http import streamablehttp_client

async def main():
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LAWATLAS_API_KEY']}"}
    async with streamablehttp_client("https://advisor.lawatlas.ai/api/mcp-http/mcp", headers=headers) as (read, write, _):
        async with ClientSession(read, write) as session:
            await session.initialize()
            result = await session.call_tool("get_legislation", {
                "legislation_id": "C2004A03712"
            })
            print(result.content[0].text)

asyncio.run(main())

curl

curl -s https://advisor.lawatlas.ai/api/mcp-http/mcp \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LAWATLAS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"get_legislation","arguments":{"legislation_id":"C2004A03712"}}}'

Response, as Advisor returned it on 10 October 2026. The tool's result is the JSON text of result.content[0].text; lists and long text are trimmed where marked "...".

{
  "schema_version": "3.5",
  "id": "eae28dff-3ff5-48eb-af3f-38686e6f650e",
  "title": "Privacy Act 1988",
  "kind": "act",
  "status": "InForce",
  "in_force": {
    "in_force": true,
    "frl_status": "InForce",
    "since": null,
    "confirmed_with_frl_at": "2026-10-09T16:37:46.550767Z",
    "frl_link": "https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2026C00227",
    "notice": "In force according to the Federal Register of Legislation, as last confirmed on the date shown.",
    "compilation": {
      "register_id": "C2026C00227",
      "compilation_no": 104,
      "check_date": "2026-10-09T16:47:33.513124Z",
      "state": "current",
      "notice": "The Federal Register listed this compilation as the current one on the check date."
    }
  },
  "portfolio": "Attorney-General's Department",
  "portfolio_count": 2,
  "portfolios": [
    "Attorney-General's Department",
    "Department of The Treasury"
  ],
  "issuing_authority": "PARLIAMENT",
  "issuing_authority_name": "Parliament",
  "title_id": "C2004A03712",
  "compilation_id": "C2026C00227",
  "made_date": "1988-12-14",
  "commence_date": "1988-12-14",
  "registered_date": "2005-01-01",
  "last_updated": "2026-06-04",
  "year": 1988,
  "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2026C00227",
  "ai_summary": null,
  "burden_score": 0.13778452205030176,
  "burden_years_in_force": 37.8,
  "burden_offence_count": 30,
  "burden_obligation_count": 1112,
  "burden_civil_penalty_count": 202,
  "burden_computed_at": "2026-09-30T05:51:28.159486",
  "made_under_count": 15,
  "made_under_note": "In-force instruments FRL records as made under this title, matched to it by exact title or title id. Shown beside the score; not counted in it.",
  "formula_disclosure": {
    "formula_count": 1,
    "by_kind": {
      "image_alt_text": 1
    },
    "not_placed_on_a_provision": 0,
    "claim": "This title's authorised text contains formulas that its stored text does not reproduce. Where a formula is placed on a provision, that provision's anchor claim covers its words only and lists the formula. Formulas not placed on a provision are counted here and are part of no verification. See the authorised PDF."
  },
  "endnotes": {
    "not_law": true,
    "compilation": "compilation_104",
    "register_id": "C2026C00227",
    "anchor_state": "not_assessed",
    "note": "Endnotes are not law. They record this compilation's history - required by the Legislation Act 2003 s 15P and the Legislation Rules s 8 - and carry no verdict against the authorised PDF (not_assessed).",
    "endnotes": [
      {
        "number": 1,
        "eid": "endnote_1",
        "heading": "Endnote 1—About the endnotes",
        "kind": "about",
        "rows": 18,
        "pages_pdf": [
          422,
          423
        ],
        "pages_printed": [
          404,
          405
        ],
        "volume": 1,
        "link": "/l/C2004A03712/compilation_104/endnotes/endnote_1"
      },
      {
        "number": 2,
        "eid": "endnote_2",
        "heading": "Endnote 2—Abbreviation key",
        "kind": "abbreviation_key",
        "rows": 24,
        "pages_pdf": [
          424,
          424
        ],
        "pages_printed": [
          406,
          406
        ],
        "volume": 1,
        "link": "/l/C2004A03712/compilation_104/endnotes/endnote_2"
      },
      {
        "number": 3,
        "eid": "endnote_3",
        "heading": "Endnote 3—Legislation history",
        "kind": "legislation_history",
        "rows": 132,
        "pages_pdf": [
          425,
          441
        ],
        "pages_printed": [
          407,
          423
        ],
        "volume": 1,
        "link": "/l/C2004A03712/compilation_104/endnotes/endnote_3"
      },
      "... 2 more"
    ],
    "how_to_read": "get_amendment_history(legislation_id='eae28dff-3ff5-48eb-af3f-38686e6f650e', provision='<the provision number, e.g. 5>') for one provision's history; without `provision` for the list of amending laws (Endnote 3)."
  }
}

Data currency: Advisor serves the text of titles that the Federal Register of Legislation records as in force. It does not return the text of a repealed, ceased or sunset title, for any date.

• A title or a served provision carries a status block (status, or in_force in a list) with in_force, frl_status and confirmed_with_frl_at: when Advisor last confirmed the status with the Federal Register.
• Served text and search hits carry a compilation block with register_id, compilation_no, check_date and state. state is one of four values:
  • current: the Federal Register's latest list names the compilation the text comes from.
  • not_current: the Federal Register lists a newer compilation. Tell the user, and use the frl_link in the response.
  • pending_compilation: amendments have commenced that are not yet compiled, so the text does not include them.
  • not_confirmed: the Federal Register lists no current compilation, or Advisor holds no record of one. Treat it as unknown.
• TITLE_NOT_IN_FORCE and COMPILATION_NOT_CURRENT are answers, not failures. Show the user the Federal Register link in the response and do not fill the gap from another source.

Errors

Related tools

• get_provision_tree
• get_provision_text