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Guide to Archives Collection - Parliamentary Committees
All committees of the House, apart from the Committee of the Whole, are select committees. That is, they are committees of members "selected" by the House which appoints them. Select committees are appointed for the purpose of considering and taking evidence upon matters which it would be inconvenient for the House or a committee of the whole to consider in detail. A select committee is considered far better fitted out to find out the facts of a case, to examine witnesses, and (by resolution of the House) to travel, in its search for information upon which to draw its conclusions.
Select Committees may be "Joint" - that is, each House appoint a number of members to the Committee. A committee is always required to make its report to the House. Its terms of reference are contained in the resolution appointing it. Under the Standing Orders it has power to send for persons, papers and records. Apart from ordinary select committees appointed to consider particular cases, there are two other types appointed - the sessional committees (also known as domestic) and the statutory committees. Sessional committees are re-appointed every session and oversee matters relating to the functioning of the House; and statutory committees are select committees set up by an Act of Parliament as standing committees to consider ongoing concerns.
| Years | House | Where to find Committee Records |
| From 1999 | Both Houses | Records from 1999 are all available online. Individual committees are progressively making their records from between 1991 - 1999 available online. Available records from 1991 may be accessed from these links:
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| 1856 - 1999 | Legislative Council | Individual committees are progressively making their records from between 1991 - 1999 available online. Where available these can be accessed from the links in the top row of this table.
Additional information about paper-based records covering this period will soon be available from Parliamentary Archives at Legislative Council Committees, 1856 - 1999. |
| 1856 - 1999 | Legislative Assembly | Individual committees are progressively making their records from between 1991 - 1999 available online. Where available these can be accessed from the links in the top row of this table.
Additional information about paper-based records covering this period is available from Parliamentary Archives at Legislative Assembly Committees, 1856 - 1999.
- Administrative Records - This will lead you to records relating to the administration of the Committees
- Sessional Committees - Sessional (also known as domestic) committees are appointed every session and oversee matters relating to the functioning of the House, such as the printing of the Parliamentary papers; the functioning of the Parliamentary Library; the overseeing of the food and beverage services (the House Committee); and the Standing Orders of the House. The House and the Library Committees always meet in conjunction with their counterparts of the other House.
- Statutory Committees - Statutory committees are select committees set up by their own Act of Parliament as standing committees to consider ongoing concerns.
- Select and Joint Select Committees - Select committees, whether of a single House or Joint, are appointed to consider specific questions and go out of existence after their Report has been tabled or if Parliament is prorogued.
- Legislation Committees - Legislation committees are a specific type of select committee, each one set up to consider a particular Bill. They usually only occur in the Legislative Assembly; although the Upper House occasionally appoints select committees into Bills, they are not called legislation committees.
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