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The Parliament of New South Wales is Australia's first and oldest parliament. It consists of two democratically elected Houses: the Legislative Assembly, with 93 members, and the Legislative Council, with 42 members. Legislative Assembly members are elected every four years under an optional preferential voting system. Legislative Council members serve eight-year terms, with half the membership standing for re-election every four years.

New South Wales was founded as a British convict colony in 1788. Its first permanent hospital was built in 1816. To fund it Governor Lachlan Macquarie let the building contractors import and sell 60,000 gallons of rum. Two of the three original buildings of the Rum Hospital [as it was known] survive, and one is the central façade of today's Parliament House.

By 1824, with many free settlers in the colony, a small Legislative Council was established to assist the Governor in a first step towards democratic government in Australia. In 1829 the enlarged Legislative Council began to meet in the Chief Surgeon's Quarters, and from that time those quarters have remained the centre of the New South Wales Legislature. In 1843 and again in 1856 legislative chambers were added to meet the needs of the increasingly democratic colony. Over the years, offices, dining rooms, a library and other facilities have been added. The construction of a complete new building was frequently abandoned because of cost.

Finally, in 1974 rebuilding began and within 10 years a 12-storey block linked by a fountain court to the preserved Macquarie Street façade replaced the former jumble of buildings. The historic chambers, library, foyers and former Surgeon's Quarters have been meticulously restored and remain today as the heart and public face of the New South Wales Parliament House.

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NSW Hansard – A Little Bit of History

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At the inception of the first Legislative Council in 1824, it was not possible for the press to either report on the debates or to publish the votes and proceedings. In 1832 the press was granted the privilege of publishing the votes and proceedings. In 1836 the Council petitioned the King and the House of Commons for permission to admit the public; in 1838 the public were admitted and the press permitted to report on debates (as well as publish the official votes and proceedings).

The Sydney Morning Herald journalists reported the proceedings of the first bicameral Parliament of New South Wales, which met on 22 May 1856. It was not until 1879, thirty-one years later and twenty-three years after Responsible Government (1856) that the Parliament of New South Wales appointed an official Reporting Staff or Hansard, headed by a Principal Reporter (Charles Robinson) to report and publish the debates in both Houses of Parliament.

The official 'Parliamentary Debates' began on 28 October 1879. The Parliamentary Reporting Staff were originally placed under the control of the Colonial Secretary Sir Henry Parkes, but in 1883 Premier Sir Alexander Stuart placed the Principal Shorthand Writer and his staff under the administrative control of the Presiding Officers of the Parliament. The title of the head of the department was changed from Principal Reporter to Editor of Debates in 1948.