# Changes to legislation

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/THtER-ImAJ0>" %}

Did you know that you can compare previous versions of a piece of legislation, which aids comparative legal research?

## Explore what's changed:

1. Open an act or other piece of legislation
2. Legislation that has changed will have a **What changed?** annotation on the right-hand side margin of the page.

<figure><img src="/files/ep0YEYnC1Qd8yct1N56U" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### How to compare versions:

Comparing the current and previous versions of a provision;

1. Click the **What changed?** button
2. A pop-up box will appear allowing you to choose which versions you would like to compare
3. The text highlighted in green is what has been added and the text in red has been removed.
4. Check the box to view the changes **side-by-side**

<figure><img src="/files/qYZGGXnSrn78Cgv845kz" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Tips:

* When viewing the provision side-by-side; the left-hand side is the **previous version** and the **amended version** is displayed on the right-hand side.
* "**This is the latest version of this Act**" notice at the top of the document means that all amendments have been applied to the document and you are viewing the latest version of the legislation.
* "**There are outstanding amendments that have not yet been applied. See the History tab for more information.**" notice at the top of the document means that there are amendments to the legislation that have been made but are not yet reflected in the current version you are viewing.

<figure><img src="/files/klVz0dIE2xcmw1AhSg2o" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.lawlibrary.org.za/legislation/how-to-explore-changed-legislation.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
