Record series
Original Papers Tabled in the Legislative Assembly
VPRS 3253
1856 - present
Open
North Melbourne
Agencies
This record series was created by:
Legislative Assembly ( VA2585 ): 1856 - present
Agencies responsible for this record series: Legislative Assembly ( VA 2585 ): 1856 - present
Date Range
Series date range: 1856 - present
Series in custody:
1856 - 2018
Contents in custody:
1856 - 2018
Function / Content
This series comprises the original documents tabled in the Legislative Assembly. Original papers tabled include reports, petitions, returns, messages, division lists, writs, evidence and estimates. Also included are annual reports of Departments of State or Public Bodies required to submit their reports under the Financial Management Act 1994 (Vic) and previous legislation, as well as the reports of other public bodies required under specific Acts to table their reports. Originals of both published and unpublished papers are included in the series.Other papers tabled include ministerial papers and Parliamentary Committee reports and other Committee records.
Division Lists
Division Lists record the results of votes taken in the Assembly. When a question is before the chair in the Assembly (either on a Bill or other matter) a vote is called to decide the issue. This is called a Division in the House. Two sheets of paper record the Ayes and the Noes separately (with the names of the members and how they voted). If a matter is subsequently called into question before a court these divisions provide the legal authority. There can also be "Divisions in Committee of the Whole". These occur when the Assembly is formed into a committee in order to discuss or consider a Bill. The Chairman leaves the chair and is replaced by the Chairman of the Committees. When a vote is called the Ayes and Noes are recorded in the same way as above.
Petitions
Petitions from the public, etc. are often tabled in the Assembly. In order to be eligible the petition must be addressed correctly, cannot be for money and must include a grievance (summary of the problem) and an action (what the Parliament should do to fix the problem). Petitions were, for a time, also required to end in a prayer. The subject matter can vary widely but must be within the power of the Parliament to grant the request.
Some indexes to petitions for certain years are located in the following boxes of the P0000 consignment:
- Index to Bills and Petitions, 1857: Box 64
- Index Books, 1861-62: Box 152
- Index Book including Petitions, 1862-63: Box 177
- Index Book including Petitions, 1864-65: Boxes 204 and 219
- Index Books, 1866-67: Box 252
- Index for Petitions and Gazettes, undated: Box 287
- Index, 1880-81: Box 328
- General List of Petitions, 1891-1907: Box 1326
Ministerial Papers
Ministers are allowed to table documents relating to any issue or subject provided they have the permission of the Assembly to do so.
Committee Reports and Other Records
Reports of Parliamentary Committees are tabled either on completion or as interim reports. Other records created by these Committees tabled in the Assembly can also be located in this series. Records created by Committees and not tabled in the Assembly can be located in the series titled "Committee Records". Each Committee has its own record series.
Writs
Writes are the initiating document that confirms the election of a Member from the District Returning Office to the Parliament. Writs created for the period 1877 to 1982 inclusive are in the P0005 consignment of this series. Writs created prior to 1877 have been boxed with the papers according to the Parliamentary Session to which they relate. Writs created for general elections after 1982 are sent to the State Electoral Office which, in turn, sends certification of the election to the Parliament. The certification documents instead of the writs have been boxed with the papers for the relevant Parliamentary Session after 1982.
How to use the records
Refer to the list of records to establish the records of interest. In some cases, researchers may also find the records of interest using a keyword search.In order to establish what records have been tabled in the Legislative Assembly on a given sitting day, refer to Votes and Proceedings for the Legislative Assembly. This is the first volume of the Legislative Assembly Votes and Proceedings/Papers Presented and can be accessed at the State Library of Victoria and many other locations.
Access may also be made via Hansard (VPRS 14314 and VPRS 14315) when reference is to the tabling of specific papers during a particular session.
Recordkeeping system
The original papers tabled at any one session are tied together and labelled with the session number and date. They are therefore arranged chronologically.As many papers tabled in Parliament were published in the Votes and Proceedings and Papers Presented to Parliament the cumulative index and annual indexes to these may be useful in identifying the dates the originals were presented and therefore locating them in this series.
