History of Victorian Hansard

Since its inception in 1866 the Department of Parliamentary Debates, which is commonly known as Hansard, has been a discrete parliamentary department. Its chief officer, the Editor of Debates (formerly the Chief Reporter) has the status of an independent department head, like the clerks of the two houses, the Parliamentary Librarian and the heads of the Joint Services Department.

For the first decade of the Parliament of Victoria’s history reports of the debates of both houses were transcribed and published by the Argus newspaper. Called Victorian Hansard, they were of questionable accuracy and were often criticised.

On 23 June 1865 a motion that the transcription and printing of proceedings be supervised by the Parliament was carried in the Legislative Assembly. Three former Argus reporters were hired to form a Department of Victorian Parliamentary Debates. They began reporting on 12 February 1866 at the beginning of the first session of the fifth Parliament of Victoria (four decades before the Parliament in Westminster passed a similar resolution).

In the early years transcripts were still incomplete because of a shortage of suitably qualified staff. Gradually additional staff members were appointed and it became possible to produce the debates in full. The bound volumes were officially entitled the Victorian Parliamentary Debates but were always referred to by the familiar name of Hansard. Acknowledging the historical associations and bowing to popular usage, the term ‘Hansard’ was incorporated in the official title page of the parliamentary reports in 1958.

The following chronology highlights notable events in the history of Victorian Hansard:

1856	Argus newspaper reports of speeches appear in volume form known as Victorian Hansard. This predates any similar publication in the states or the commonwealth.
1865	Motion to establish Department of Parliamentary Debates is passed, four decades before Parliament in Westminster passes a similar resolution.
1866	Official Hansard staff begin reporting debates.
1942	Hansard staff members volunteer to report commonwealth wartime tribunals.
1966	Centenary of Victorian Hansard. During preceeding 100 years Hansard produced 277 volumes containing about 250 million words.
1970	Joyce Bates appointed as first female Hansard reporter.
1978	Microphones installed in Legislative Assembly chamber
1985	First Daily Hansard (proof version of debates until 8.30 p.m. available at 11.00 a.m. the following day).
1991	Personal computers replace typewriters. Daily Hansard service is extended (proof version of complete debates available by 8.30 a.m. the following day).
1994	Introduction of computer-assisted transcription (CAT).
1995	First use of voice-activated transcription (VAT).
1997	Carolyn Williams appointed as Editor – first female in the top job!
1998	Department restructured. Daily Hansard available on the Internet. Violetta Lovrenovich and Naomi Williams appointed as first audio reporters. Sessional reporters employed. Introduction of Microsoft Word.
1999	Digital audio recording system commissioned.
2001	Microphones installed in Legislative Council chamber.
2002	Introduction of Windows XP operating system and Eclipse CAT software.

A window on life at Hansard back in 1899

In 1899 reporters had to endure their fair share of late sittings, and the rules issued in that year for the guidance of reporters regarding attendance and related matters state:

In the event of an all-night, or very protracted, sitting the Reporters will (unless physically exhausted) continue the dictation of their turns to their Typewriters throughout the sitting, so that the interval of rest before they have to attend again the office may be rendered as long as possible.

Shouldn’t all Hansard workplace agreements include a ‘physically exhausted’ clause? The Typewriters (they would all have been men) had their noses kept to the grindstone, as the following paragraph indicates:

The Reporters will be responsible for seeing that their Typewriters transcribe the matter dictated to them as shorthand writers with all reasonable expedition. Any case of dilatoriness should be reported to the Chief Reporter’.


Photo: Transcribing in the 1970s	Photo: A reporter using CAT