Parliament Of Nsw

ūüĆ∑Celebrate the Spring Carnival at NSW Parliament and join us for Melbourne Cup Day this year on Tuesday November 6. ūüź£ An early bird special is still available until September 14th. Click below to book!

ūüďēBudget Estimates 2018-19 concludes today; keep reading to learn about this important part of parliamentary process!
This week, the NSW Legislative Council's six Portfolio Committees conducted 23 hearings. These involve detailed questioning on the decisions, actions and expenditure of Ministers and public servants.
‚úĒÔłŹ This is a key process for government accountability and transparency.

ūüßź want the secrets into one of Sydney's oldest buildings? ūüďł make sure you're following us on Instagram!

Can you help us locate the portrait of the first female barrister in NSW, Sybil Morrison, painted by Norman Carter in the 1920s. Any clues to its whereabouts would be most appreciated? The portrait will help us to celebrate the centenary since the Women’s Legal Status Act passed the NSW Parliament, allowing women to be elected to the Legislative Assembly, practise as a solicitor and be admitted to the bar as a barrister.

From our friends at the Parliament of Victoria - a beautiful photograph on Australian National Flag Day.

ūüéČThis week we celebrate 116 years since women were enabled to vote in NSW
‚Ź≥The Women's Franchise Act was passed by the Parliament in August 1902
ūüďĚ Section 4 explicitly held women were not allowed to be elected to the Parliament that now represented them; another 16 years would pass before women could actually elect a woman!
... Image credits: Proclamation - NSW State Archives, Suffrage Group 1892 - State Library of NSW
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ūüôč‚Äć‚ôÄÔłŹ"It is an extraordinary thing that men claim they can interpret women's legislative ambitions better than women can do it themselves..."
ūüŹõÔłŹ93 years ago the first female Member of NSW Parliament, Millicent Preston-Stanley included these observations in her first speech on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, delivered to 89 men!

ūüŹõ Almost 194 years ago today, the NSW Legislative Council met for the very first time.
ūüá¶ūüáļThis was the first legislative body in Australia and had 5 nominated officials.
The Council met in Government House and were presided over by the Governor, then Thomas Brisbane.
... The first Council was the precursor to Parliament itself and the first step in an almost 200-year journey to the highly developed democracy we enjoy today.
Government House as it was in 1824 was later replaced in 1845 by the building pictured, which remains the residence of the Governor of New South Wales today.
Image courtesy: Mitchell Library collection.
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The Legislative Assembly's Investment, Industry and Regional Development Committee has tabled its report on start-ups in regional New South Wales. One of the key recommendation was that the Government support start-up competitions in each regional electorate within the State.
'People in regional NSW are naturally entrepreneurial and innovative, and we have seen a number of promising start-ups begin their success in regional areas' said Mr Michael Johnsen MP - Nationals Membe...r for Upper Hunter, Committee Chair
'The start-up sector is rapidly evolving, but the question is how can the Government support innovation and growth of start-ups located outside Sydney across regional New South Wales.'
For more from the Chair about the Inquiry, see the Chair's video below. The Committee's report and submissions received are available on the Committee‚Äôs website: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/‚Ķ/P‚Ä ¶/inquiry-details.aspx‚Ķ
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The Staysafe Committee wants to hear from you which road safety issues it should examine next. "Road safety concerns everyone," said Committee Chair Mr Greg Aplin, "so the Committee wants to hear about your interests, experiences and concerns." Submissions close on Monday 17 September 2018. More information about the inquiry is available online: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/‚Ķ/P‚Ä ¶/inquiry-details.aspx‚Ķ

ūüĆĀ 88 years ago the two halves of the Sydney Harbour Bridge were joined!
ūüďĚDiscussions around a bridge commenced as early as 1825, including the idea of a floating bridge linking the North Shore and the city. It was not until 1922 that the Sydney Harbour Bridge Act was passed by the NSW Parliament, construction commencing in 1923.

Thank you to our friends at Heritage for NSW for posting a wonderful historic photograph.

It's writ time again! This week, the Speaker will issue the writ for the Wagga Wagga by-election. Writs are the formal orders requiring an election to be held. Think of it as formally issuing an invitation for the election dance to begin! For a General Election these are issued by the Governor, but in the case of a by-election held to fill a vacancy in the Legislative Assembly, it’s the Speaker who issues the writs. The writ is a document by which the Governor or the Speaker ...directs the Electoral Commissioner to conduct an election. It specifies the date by which candidates’ nominations must be made; the date for polling day; and the date by which the writ with the name of the elected candidate for each electorate must be returned. Once the writ has been issued, candidates nominate to contest the election. At noon on the day that nominations close, the Returning Officer for each electorate conducts a draw of the names of candidates in order to determine the position of candidates on the ballot paper. Once all votes are counted the poll is declared and the Returning Officer announces the results. The Electoral Commissioner then returns the writ to the Speaker with the name of the candidate that have been elected. This must happen within 60 days of the writ originally being issued.
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Today, the Legislative Assembly sent a message to the Legislative Council, asking the Council to set a date and time for a Joint Sitting of both Houses in the Legislative Council Chamber. The Houses will come together to fill the current casual vacancy in the Senate which arose when Lee Rhiannon resigned yesterday.
When a NSW Senator resigns, the Governor sends a message to both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. It is then up to the Assembly to ask the Cou...ncil to set a date and time. It works differently when a Member of the Legislative Council resigns: in that case, the Governor will set the date and time.
Note that 'message' means a hard copy letter from the Speaker to the President and vice versa. Officially, one House does not know what the other House has done until a message has been received and read out in the Chamber.
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ūüĎ©‚Äć‚öĖÔłŹ This week in 1916 the Attorney General introduced the Women's Legal Status Bill - the legislation that would allow women to enter the legal profession and be elected to Parliament in NSW
‚Ź≥It would be over two years however until the legislation was actually passed ‚öĖÔłŹ5 years until a woman was admitted to the NSW Bar ūüď£9 years until a woman was elected to the Parliament
... ‚ėĚÔłŹThe process for this enormous change started with the Bill's first reading in the NSW Parliament 102 years ago
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ūüźĪ One from the archives: the NSW parliamentary cat in the 1950s.
ūüďłThis image was taken by William Grogan, the Parliamentary Steward during the period. The Grogan family lived in ‚ÄėThe Cottage‚Äô, accommodation for staff housing located where the The State Library of New South Wales bookshop is today.

We are back for the August sittings today! The Legislative Assembly will sit from 12 noon today, with NSW Legislative Council back in session from next Tuesday. Tune in to watch live: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Pages/w ebcasts.aspx
Parliament ordinarily sits in two blocks during the year, the first period being from February through to late June, and then from August through to late November. The actual days that each House will sit are determined by resolution of each House.

ūüöāCentral Station as we know it today was opened this week 112 years ago.
ūüďúCentral Station was created under the City Railway Extension (Devonshire Street) Bill, passed by the Parliament in December 1900.
ūüóĚÔłŹTo officially open the station, Premier Carruthers turned a ceremonial gold key in the booking office on August 4th 1906. The first train service, the Western Mail train, ran through the station at 5:50am.

ūüďÖ On this day in 1843, the very first elected body in Australia had their very first sitting.
‚úćÔłŹThese are the oaths sworn by the 24 members elected to the NSW Legislative Council 175 years ago today.
ūüŹõÔłŹThe New South Wales Constitution Act 1842 allowed for the first elections in the country to take place. In 1856 the Legislative Assembly was created as a wholly elected body and the Council reverted back to appointments; only becoming fully democratic in 1978.

I vote for NO CONFIDENCE in The Parliament of Australia. Malcolm Turnbull should not have a say or a position in the Parliament/Government. Julia Bishop should not have a seat on or in anything besides a dumpster at the back of a restaurant. NO CONFIDENCE. All they do is look out for their own bank accounts. Why don't you look after everyone in Australia and not just your own backsides. You are a putrid piece of fecal matter MALCOLM TALKBULL!!!

I vote for NO CONFIDENCE in The Parliament of Australia. Malcolm Turnbull should not have a say or a position in the Parliament/Government. Julia Bishop should not have a seat on or in anything besides a dumpster at the back of a restaurant. NO CONFIDENCE. All they do is look out for their own bank accounts. Why don't you look after everyone in Australia and not just your own backsides. You are a putrid piece of fecal matter MALCOLM TALKBULL!!!

I vote for NO CONFIDENCE in The Parliament of Australia. Malcolm Turnbull should not have a say or a position in the Parliament/Government. Julia Bishop should not have a seat on or in anything besides a dumpster at the back of a restaurant. NO CONFIDENCE. All they do is look out for their own bank accounts. Why don't you look after everyone in Australia and not just your own backsides. You are a putrid piece of fecal matter MALCOLM TALKBULL!!!