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Tabled Papers
Many papers are presented to Parliament by Ministers in the course of a session, either in the public interest or required by statute to be tabled. Papers of several other types may be presented 'By Command'. Accounts and papers may be ordered to be laid before the House and such orders are communicated by the Clerk to the Premier. Some orders have required returns to be laid annually on the Table but resolutions of this nature have mostly been repealed. Papers concerning the Royal Prerogative or correspondence to or from the Governor, or relating to the administration of justice may be asked for only by Address. A copy of every Bill presented is laid on the Table at the time of its First Reading, but the text is not printed in either the 'Votes and Proceedings' or the 'Parliamentary papers'. The original, however, is kept with the rest of the original manuscript Tabled Papers. Papers and other documents laid upon the Table may be ordered to be printed without notice and without debate. Papers not ordered to be printed may be inspected by Members and, unless otherwise ordered by the House, by other persons. Normally private Members may not lay documents upon the Table except for such matters as reports from Committees, though this has been allowed on occasion. At the request of a department, certain departmental papers laid on the Table and not required further in the business of the House may be returned to the department. However, should the papers be required at any time, they must be returned to the Legislative Assembly. In other words, papers presented to Parliament remain the property of the House to which they are presented.
Bills
The introduction and passing of bills into law is the most basic function of Parliament. A bill is a draft Act of Parliament presented to one or other House of Parliament by a Member. It becomes an Act when, after passing both Houses, it receives the Royal Assent. (In certain circumstances relating to disagreements between the Houses, as defined in sections 5A and 5B of the Constitution Act, the Governor may give the Royal Assent without a bill having passed the Legislative Council).
Bills are tabled when they first come before the House, as are any amendments sent from the other House. The text is not printed in either the 'Votes and Proceeedings' or the 'Parliamentary Papers', but the original is kept with the rest of the original manuscript Tabled Papers.
Copies of Bills:
Lists of Bills:
- 91.LA LA, Registers of Public and Private Bills, 1897 - 1905
- 92.LA LA, Register of Public Bills, 1947 - 1952
- 119.LA LA, Register of Bills for Royal Assent, and Addresses for Presentation to the Governor, 1894 - 1985
- 191.LA LA, Register of Bills Printed, 1861 - 1884
- 258.LA LA, Sessional Lists of Bills, 1910 - 1977
- NOTE: Registers of Bills are printed sessionally in the 'Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly'.
Indexes of Bills:
Records Related to Bills
A private bill is one which is for the particular interest or benefit of any person or persons; who thus must pay for the privilege.
Related Records:
As bills are tabled in each House at their First Reading, they are registered into the series. If the date of the First Reading is known, the Tabled Paper number may be obtained from the Register (unless there is an Index for the period). The Bill may then be obtained from the Tabled Papers (PRS 108.LA and PRS 109.LA)
Proceedings in the House
PRS 393.LA Papers relating to Procedures and Precedents, 1861 - 1908
Proceedings in the House - Messages:
The Standing Orders of the Assembly order that one of the modes of communication between the two Houses shall be by Message (S.O. 222(1), and that these Messages are to be entered in the journals of the House (S.O. 225).
Proceedings in the House - Adjournments:
PRS 229.LA Registers of Adjournments of the House under Standing Order 49
Proceedings in the House - Addresses and Orders for Papers:
Legislative Assembly Standing Order 54 states that "Accounts and Papers may be ordered to be laid before the House; and the Clerk shall communicate to the Premier all Orders for Papers made by the House; and such Papers shall be laid on the Table by any Member of the House, being also a Member of the Government". There are some papers which may only be asked for by an Address to the Governor. Standing Order 55 states that "production of Accounts or Papers concerning the Royal Prerogative, or of Despatches or other Correspondence addressed to or emanating from His Excellency the Governor, or having reference to the Administration of Justice, shall be asked for only by Address to the Governor"; and Standing Order 214 states that all Addresses to the Sovereign must be presented to the Governor for transmission. A Register of Addresses and Orders for Papers is printed every Session in the 'Votes and Proceedings'.
Elections:
In the first Parliament under responsible government (elected in 1856) fifty-four Members were elected to the Assembly under the Constitution Act. The Electoral Act of 1858 introduced vote by ballot and came closer to manhood suffrage. The number of Members was increased to eighty (reduced to seventy-two in 1859 when Queensland was erected into a separate colony with a separate Parliament) with three seats provided for the goldfields and one for Sydney University (this seat was abolished in 1880). There were also nine multi-member constituencies, with seven returning two Members and two returning four. The Electoral Act of 1880 provided for seventy-two electorates and one hundred and eight Members, with provision for an expansion of up to four Members for each electorate as population increased. The number of Members thus increased to one hundred and forty-one, a number of electorates returning the maximum of four Members. This Act was repealed by the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act of 1893 which provided for single electorates returning one hundred and twenty-five Members. In 1904 the number of Members was reduced to ninety; and in this year the Women's Franchise Act of 1902 came into force. In 1950 the number of Members was increased to ninety-four; in 1969 to ninety-six; in 1973 to ninety-nine; in 1988 to one hundred and nine; in 1999 it was decreased to ninety nine Members; and after the 1999 elections decreased again to 93 members.
Last modified 29/04/2008 10:03:53 : Update this page