Legislative Council Archived Committee Records

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. 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. Unlike Legislative Assembly practice, the Legislative Council has in the past generally kept all the records of Select Committees with the tabled Report and Proceedings. Apart from ordinary select committees appointed to consider particular cases, there are two other types appointed - the sessional committees 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.

SESSIONAL COMMITTEES
Each session four select committees were appointed, referred to as Sessional Committees, which considered matters relating to the functioning of the House. They were the Standing Orders Committee; the Printing Committee; the Library Committee; and the House Committee. The archives of the Library Committee and the House Committee (and its predecessor, the Refreshment Room Committee) are listed separately. Now only the Privileges Committee is constituted, as a standing committee of the Legislative Council.

Printing Committee
PRS 29.LC Reports of the Printing Committee, 1862 - 1896

SELECT COMMITTEES

PRS 210.LC Registers of Standing and Select Committees, 1870 - 1910
PRS 211.LC Register of Witnesses attending Select Committees ('Witnesses Address Book'), 1916 - 1980
PRS 212.LC Copies of Letters Sent by Select Committees, 1887 - 1893

Last modified 30/04/2008 15:53:26 : Update this page