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Government Legislation & Publications: New South Wales

Key to library resources

Access anywhere with a library cardIn the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents)
Available to access in the libraryOnly in the Library
Publicly available onlinePublicly available

Hansard (Parliamentary debates) 

NSW Hansard - Parliamentary debates and votes and proceedings

Hansard is the official record of the debates in Parliament. It is not a strictly verbatim record, but rather a verified and accurate record (NSW Parliament website).  Votes and proceedings are also useful for determining discussion and policy on a range of topics and issues.

Resources

Indexes:

Searching the indexes:

Search the indexes within the volumes to find petitions, second readings, debates about bills, changes to existing legislation, the state budget, who was present in parliament and how each member voted as well as the questions and answers from question time in Hansard.

About Hansard

Hansard is available online in two formats:

  • Day Transcripts - are available about 3 Hours after the last House rises, but are indexed by date only. Navigate to a sitting day and access the Hansard Full Day Transcript link for the full text of the day's proceedings.
  • Articles - are available on the morning following a sitting day, generally after 10 am. This format is more convenient to search and print than the full text day transcript. Access the Date, Bill, or Member link for each item of business.
  • The Proof is replaced with a corrected copy usually within two weeks of a sitting.

What is a bill?

A bill is a proposed law. A bill needs to go through several stages to become an Act including being passed by both Houses and assented (signed by the Governor).