Search
Borrow
Help
Information for
Information about
Indexes to Parliamentary Papers
- Overview
- Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers
- NSW Parliamentary Papers
- Royal Commissions and Committees of Inquiry
- Parliamentary paper listings in library catalogues
- Guides to government reports in specific subject areas
- British Parliamentary Papers
- Need further help?
- See also Government Publications guide
- See also Government Information guide
Overview
Many published government reports are also issued in 'parliamentary paper' versions. If you cannot find a particular report listed on our Library Catalogue under its individual title, check if a copy is included within the Library's holdings of the relevant parliamentary papers (PP) series. (Note that prior to the mid-1990s most reports were only published in print and will not be available online.)
Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers
These began in 1901. The Library holds most volumes of these in hard copy from 1901+ in the Journals Collection (Level 2) at S 328.9401/3
Web Indexes:
There is one main web based index to Commonwealth PPs which covers the years from 1992 onwards.
| Years | Index |
|---|---|
| 1992+ | Indexes to Parliamentary Papers |
Print Indexes:
These are held in the Journals Collection (Level 2). In addition to the annual indexes, several time-saving cumulative indexes are available (see below).
| Years | Index | Call number |
|---|---|---|
| 1901-49 | First Consolidated Index to the Papers Presented to Parliament 1901-49 located in PP Vol. II 1954-55 Pages 1077-1355 |
S 328.9401/3 |
| 1950-61 | Sixth General Index to the Papers Presented to Parliament 1950-61 located in PP Vol. XIII 1964-65-66 Pages 631-710 |
S 328.9401/3 |
| 1962-72 | Seventh General Index to the Papers Presented to Parliament 1962-72 located in pamphlet box at end of PPs |
S 328.9401/3(1) |
| 1973-82 | No cumulative index held. Use the relevant annual indexes within the C'wealth PP volumes | S 328.9401/3 |
| 1983+ | Index to the Papers Presented to Parliament (separate indexes for 1983-84, 1985-87, 1987-90, 1990-93, 1993-95, 1996-98, 1998-2001 and 2002+) located in pamphlet box at end of PPs |
S 328.9401/3(1) |
NSW Parliamentary Papers
These began in 1824 and have been published under three different series titles. The titles, Library holdings and location details for each of these series are listed below.
| Years | Title | Format, Location and Call number |
|---|---|---|
| 1824-55 | Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Council | Hard copy on Level 2 at S 328.94401/1 Also on microfilm in Media room (Ground level) at AV 328.94401/1 |
| 1856-1903 | Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly | Hard copy on Level 2 at S 328.94401/3 Also on microfilm in Media room (Ground level) at AV 328.94401/3 |
| 1903+ | Joint Volumes of Papers presented to the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly | Hard copy on Level 2 at S 328.94401/4 Also, many unbound papers from 1894-1957 held in Archives Collection (Ground Level) at ARC 328.94401/4 |
Web Indexes:
No comprehensive web based index to NSW PPs currently exists. Instead refer to the search tip in the section below on Parliamentary paper listings in library catalogues.Print Indexes:
| Years | Index | Call number |
|---|---|---|
| 1856-1954 | Consolidated Index to the Minutes of the Proceedings and Printed Papers 1856-1954 (5 volumes) | S 328.94401/1A |
| 1955+ | No cumulative index held. Use the relevant annual indexes within the NSW PP volumes | S 328.94401/4 |
Note: When using the Consolidated Index referred to above, in the index/published PP column reference:
- a C prefix indicates the paper is published in the Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Council series 1824-55
- an A prefix indicates the paper is published in the Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly series 1856-1903
Royal Commissions and Committees of Inquiry
Reports of Royal Commissions and Committees of Inquiry are also published in 'parliamentary paper' versions.
Web Indexes:
| Years | Index |
|---|---|
| 1902+ | Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry (C'wealth) |
| 1901+ | Register of House of Representatives and Joint Committee Reports (C'wealth) |
| 1970+ | Consolidated Register of Senate Committee Reports (C'wealth) |
Print Indexes:
These are located in the Level 2 Compactus.
| Years | Index | Call number |
|---|---|---|
| 1856-1980 | Checklist of Royal Commissions, Select Committees of Parliament and Boards of Inquiry Part 1 Australia 1900-1950 Part 4 New South Wales 1855-1960 Parts 2, 3 & 5 cover other states 1856-1960 Part 6 is a Consolidated Index to Parts 1-5 Part 7 covers Australia and individual states 1960-1980 Part 8 is a Supplement 1856-1980 |
C 016.35494/2 |
| 1857-1970 | South Australian Royal Commissions, Select Committees Of Parliament and Boards Of Inquiry 1857-1970 | C 016.35494/4 |
| 1870-1979 | Western Australian Royal Commissions, Select Committees Of Parliament and Boards Of Inquiry 1870-1979 | C 016.35494/3 |
| 1856-1980 | The Literature on Royal Commissions, Select Committees of Parliament and Boards of Inquiry Held In Australia 1856-1980 - lists books/articles written about specific government inquiries | C 016.3549409/1 |
Parliamentary paper listings in library catalogues
If you know the name of a particular inquiry report or annual report try searching for it in the following library catalogues. Check if any of the records indicate if it was also issued as a parliamentary paper (and if so what year and PP number). Then look for that report on the shelves within our Library’s holdings of the relevant PP series.
- NSW State Library Catalogue (WEBCAT)
- NSW Parliament Library Catalogue
- National Library of Australia Catalogue
- Libraries Australia Catalogue
Guides to government reports in specific subject areas
The following print bibliographies (located in the Level 2 Compactus) are useful for identifying details of government reports on particular subject areas/topics. You can then use the sources listed in this guide to check if a specific report has also been issued as a parliamentary paper.
| Years | Index | Call number |
|---|---|---|
| 1900-75 | Australian Reports on Education | C 016.379/1 |
| 1905-80 | Government Reports on the Australian Economy 1905-1980: a Checklist | C 016.330994/1 |
| Pre-1950 | Bibliography of Australian Medicine and Health Services to 1950 (4 vols) | C 016.610994/3 |
British Parliamentary Papers
The Library holds the Irish University Press Series of selected British Parliamentary Papers 1800-1899 in the Journals Collection (Level 2) at S 328.4104/... (call number varies according to individual series). Various indexes are also available to these.
Of particular interest is the series Colonies: Australia (1822-1899) at S 328.4104/2A which contains reports relating to colonial Australia. The index volume to this series is at S 328.4104/2B
Note: Members who register (free) with the State Library of NSW have remote access to the British House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 1801-2004 fulltext database.
Another useful catalogue for identifying early British Papers is BOPCRIS
Need further help?
Contact Research Help staff.
Follow Me Printing
Everyone hates to queue. With this in mind, we have introduced Follow Me Printing. You can choose any free printer/copier in the Library or a printer in the Student Central labs to release your print job.
How does it work?