A guide to accessing and using NSW Government publications both in print and online
Generally, parliamentary papers are not available as an online set. Many papers presented to Parliament such as annual reports of departments and agencies are available online through the websites of the relevant instrumentality.
Sept 1999 to date
Parliamentary committees
The Committees page for New South Wales Parliament gives immediate access to committees of the current Parliament and as far back as 1999.
For earlier parliaments, use the committee search function on the website of the NSW Parliament. The Committees area contains records relating to parliamentary committees and inquiries since 1999. This includes pdf copies of reports, hearing transcripts, and selected submissions. Some committees have made available key records back to 1991.
Sept 1991-
Tabled papers and reports / House papers
A filter and search function or the Legislative Assembly from the 50th Parliament can be searched here. You are able to filter your search by parliamentary session and type of paper.
This site only displays the reports and other papers which are tabled in the House. Documents such as messages between the Houses or the Governor, statutory instruments, petitions, and bills are not included unless they become parliamentary papers.
1856/57-
Legislative Assembly / Sessional Papers
These can be accessed from the Comprehensive index to all parliamentary documents available online.
1824-
Records of legislative proceedings including those of the First Legislative Council (1824-1855)
These can be accessed from the Comprehensive index to all parliamentary documents available online
Parliamentary debates, 1843-1855, can be sourced from published newspaper reports in the Sydney morning herald. Note that the publication dates are for the newspaper rather than to sitting days of Parliament.
Votes and proceedings, 1824/5-1855 - there is no consolidated index for this period; individual sessional indexes appear in the first few pages of each document, see Comprehensive index.
1824 to current
See the Comprehensive index to all parliamentary documents available online
1824-1856
Index to the select committees. This work, compiled by R. F. Doust, identifies and describes the many committees of inquiry appointed by the first Legislative Council of the Colony of New South Wales.
It's preferable to use online resources rather than the following hard copy items. See the section above for online alternatives.
2000 to date
No printed set covers this period in any format. Annual reports of government departments and agencies have been catalogued as individual serials.
As an example see Annual report / New South Wales Law Reform Commission.
Monographic reports have been catalogued as monographs, for example, see Council on the cost of Government : sixth report. If not available as individually catalogued items at SLV, make use of NSW Government online shop to verify details. Some items are free on this site; others are available for purchase.
1996 to 2000
New South Wales. Parliamentary paper
Loose copies of parliamentary papers in boxes, an incomplete collection. No bound volumes of parliamentary papers exist for these years.
1985 to 1995
No holdings in printed form for NSW parliamentary papers for this period. Although parliamentary papers are available on microfiche (see microform section at right) it's preferable to use the online Comprehensive index to all parliamentary documents.
1978-2007
Register of Legislative Council committee reports & joint committee reports
This is a chronological list of committee reports and joint committee reports, specifically Select, Sessional, Standing, Estimates, Joint select, Joint standing and Joint statutory committees.
1904 to 1984
New South Wales. Parliament. Joint volumes of papers presented to the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly
These are interfiled with next item in chronological order.
1856/57 to 1984
New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative Assembly. Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly during the session …
Includes parliamentary papers.
For microfilm, 1857/57-1900, (see microform section at right).
It's preferable to use the Comprehensive index to all parliamentary documents (with links to full text of Votes) or the Votes and indexes from the 1st to the 50th Parliament which covers slightly fewer years, until 1994. In pdf format.
1832 to 1855
New South Wales. Legislative Council. Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Council
Includes sessional papers.
It's preferable to use the Comprehensive index to all parliamentary documents.
1824 to 1831
New South Wales. Legislative Council. Minutes of proceedings of the Legislative Council of New South Wales
Includes papers presented to Council. Minutes of proceedings contain lists of committees, records of attendance, and details of papers tabled but not printed. The full texts of printed papers are sometimes bound with the Votes and proceedings.
Use online House Papers, then drill down to Minutes on left hand side bar, in preference to hardcopy or microfilm formats (see microform section at right).
1824-
Use online Comprehensive index.
1985 to date
No printed indexes. Use online Comprehensive index.
1985 to 1990
Use online Comprehensive index in preference to index in microfiche set, (see microform section at right).
1955 to 1984
No separate index but use the online Comprehensive index instead of hardcopy.
In the published copy, the index is in volumes of Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly during the session... (after the index to the votes and proceedings under the heading Papers).
1856/57 to 1954
New South Wales. Legislative Council. Consolidated index to the minutes of the proceedings and papers
In five volumes, 1856 to 1874, 1874 to 1893, 1894 to 1913, 1914 to 1934 and 1934 to 1954.
Use online Comprehensive index instead covering dates 1824 onwards
1843 to 1855
Index to the Votes and proceedings and Sessional papers of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, 1843 to 1855 inclusive
This was printed as a supplementary volume to the Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Council in 1855. SLV does not have the supplementary volume. Deakin University Library is listed as having a copy.
For online equivalent use the Comprehensive index.
1824 to 1848 (/1856)
Doust, R. F. New South Wales Legislative Council 1824-1856: the select committees. Part 1: 1824-1843; Part 2: 1844-1848.
Listing of all committees in Legislative Council in the period 1824-1848. Most were appointed to inquire into proposed bills. Includes summary of background to each committee, membership, witnesses and findings.
If report of committee was printed, gives reference in Votes and proceedings. Most were not printed. Also includes index of subjects, members and witnesses.
Use the online version covering Select Committees 1824-1856.
1855 to 1980 : Specialised indexes to royal commissions, committees of enquiry, etc
1984 to 1997
Parliamentary papers during the session …
Microfiche of papers presented to Parliament and ordered to be printed. One box for each session of Parliament.
Also includes Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and Minutes of proceedings of the Legislative Council.
In earlier years, fiche are arranged in alphabetical order; in later boxes they appear to be arranged chronologically.
Library staff who order the fiche from the offsite location must specify a year or parliamentary session.
Online version of Tabled papers and reports starts with 51st parliament, 3rd session, 1997. There is one for the Legislative Assembly and another for the Legislative Council.
1856/57 to 1900
Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly during the session...
Rolls 12 to 127.
Use online Votes and indexes from the 1st to the 50th Parliament in preference to retrieving microfiche.
1832 to 1855
Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Council
Rolls 1 to 11.
Use online Hansard and House Papers in preference to retrieving microfiche.
1824 to 1831
Minutes of proceedings of the Legislative Council of New South Wales
Reel 1.
Use online Minutes 1824- in preference to retrieving microfiche.
1984 to 1997
Parliamentary papers during the session …
The first fiche in each box is labelled Index. Generally speaking there are 3 indexes--a general index, an Index to Votes and Proceedings and an Index to the Minutes of Proceedings. These indexes are often tables of contents not indexes.
In earlier years the fiche of the parliamentary papers are in alphabetical order by title or agency so the table of contents works well as an index though of a limited nature.
In later years, the fiche are arranged in chronological order so the contents list does not function well as an index.
For these years use the Index to Votes and proceedings (usually the second and third to fourth fiches in the box) and/or the Index to the Minutes of Proceedings, which are a little further along in the fiche sequence.
At the end of these indexes is an alphabetic index of parliamentary papers under the heading "Papers".
There may be some coverage through the online Votes indexes from the 1st to the 50th Parliament.
Alternatively, the advanced search page on the website of the Parliament of New South Wales may assist in search for papers from May 1856 in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
