Using this website for research
Whether you are exploring the history of the Parliament of NSW, researching a parliamentary issue, or looking for a historical document, our website gives you several ways to find what you need. You can search, browse collections, filter by date or parliamentary session, and use subject-based resources to access historical records, parliamentary documents and research papers.
You can use the search page to search the whole website or focus on specific areas by searching within business areas. The recommended areas below may help with your research.
Historic tabled papers
Use the drop down to search tabled papers by parliamentary session, where available. Use the keyword search to refine your results, for example, by typing a month or year if you are searching for a particular timeframe. You can also sort your results by ‘Oldest first’ via the drop down, if you are looking for more historical results.
The digitisation of historic tabled papers is a work in progress. Papers from 1956 to 1978 are anticipated to be available online by mid-2027, with papers from November 1978 to 1999 expected at a later date.
Hansard and House papers
Use the drop down to search Hansard and House papers by parliamentary session or year. Records from 1856 are available. Records prior to 1992 are available as PDFs only. You can further narrow your search, for example, by House or paper type.
Search Hansard and House papers →
Another way to search for Hansard results is to use the whole website search, search for a keyword or phrase and then select Hansard in the Parliamentary business dropdown.
Comprehensive Indexes
Historical Hansard printed indexes, as well as votes and proceedings, votes indexes and sessional papers of the Legislative Assembly are available on this page. Records are uploaded as PDFs in order of parliamentary session. This is a work in progress.
Browse Comprehensive Indexes →
First Legislative Council
The First Legislative Council archive contains documents from 1824 to 1855 indexed by document type and date. It includes tabled papers, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reports of debates, and documents classified as "non-tabled" papers relating to the administration of the First Council.
Search the First Legislative Council records →
Bills
Search bills by title, keyword or use the dropdown filter to search by parliamentary session. Details of bills from 1856 are available. Historic bills documents, where available, are on the bill details page under the heading 'Text of bill'.
Legislative Council Minutes
The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of proceedings of the Legislative Council. The Minutes record what motions were moved, the progress of bills, and how members voted in divisions. The current year will be selected by default. Use the drop down to select a different year – records from 1856 are available. You can further refine your search by month, via the drop down.
Search Legislative Council Minutes →
Legislative Assembly Votes and Proceedings
The Votes and Proceedings is the official record of proceedings in the Legislative Assembly on each sitting day. They are the minutes of proceedings, recording resolutions and other events, including when a bill or other matter is considered in detail. You can use the drop down to filter results by year. Records from 1856 are available. As the default year is the current year, first click on the year drop down filter and select the year you would like to search to update the results.
Search Legislative Assembly Votes and Proceedings →
Parlimento
Explore historic items from the Parliament's archival collection. Search the archive or browse by collection, format or date.
Research papers
Search research papers by subject, keyword or date of publication. Research published from 1986 is available.
Search tips
Use this guide to get better results when searching the Parliament of NSW website. Whether you're looking for a specific bill, a member's speech, or a committee report, these tips will help you find it faster.
