A guide to Victorian Government publications
Documents that are formally presented to Parliament are referred to as tabled documents. Many of these tabled documents are then ordered to be printed in Parliamentary papers. These include departmental annual reports, royal commission reports etc.
In addition to the copy bound with Parliamentary papers, a range of these documents are published separately and can be searched on the catalogue.
If you're looking for mention of ordinary individuals, see the Index to the Parliamentary papers for the colony of Victoria 1852-1899 (also listed below).
Many Victorian government departments and instrumentalities place items online such as their Annual reports which are presented to Parliament. From the relevant departmental website there is usually a link to publications such as annual reports.
The committee system convenes inquiries into a range of issues, seeking a wide public input. A list of current inquiries and a list of committees is available online. Past committee reports since 2002 can also be viewed. The Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations 2013 is available online.
These are significant inquiries into issues of major public interest. The Royal Commissioner overseeing the inquiry has wide powers within specified terms of reference. The research paper Royal Commissions in Victoria 1854–2009 includes an index listing Victorian Royal Commissions. The Royal Commission into Victorian bushfires 2009 is available online.
Indexes to the Parliamentary papers are organised alphabetically by subject. Each entry will generally refer to the number of the paper, the session (year), the volume number and a place or page number.
eg.
Paper
Country Passenger Services [Victorian Tansport Study] (No. 24)
Session Vol. No. Place No.
1980–81 6 3
Separate indexes for various years are listed to the left. Indexes are printed in volume 1 of the Votes and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly for the corresponding year. Sometimes the index is also included in the earlier bound volumes of Parliamentary papers.
Last of the reform - the Council passing the bill, IAN29/06/81/113
