TASMANIA

HOW THE TASMANIAN PARLIAMENTARY REPORTING SERVICE OPERATES

• HISTORY
• THE ROLE
• THE PROCESS
• THE STAFF
• EDITORS OF THE TASMANIAN HANSARD
• THE FUTURE

HISTORY

Although Tasmania has had responsible government since 1856, when the existing constitutional structure was first set up, the Tasmanian Parliamentary Reporting Service (Hansard) is a relatively new entity. For almost a century and a quarter there was no verbatim transcript of the proceedings of the two Houses of Parliament, allegedly due to the costs involved and also the lack of space within the historic parliamentary building, which dates back to 1840. Happily those obstacles were overcome and finally Hansard was established in June 1979, although not without some controversy, as the issue had become somewhat of a political football. In fact, in1982 former Premier Robin Gray announced his intention to axe Hansard as an economy measure, but enormous public opposition to such a move resulted in its abandonment. Originally the Hansard staff were housed in rather cramped quarters in Parliament House, but in 1992 we moved into adjoining premises after a connecting walkway and flight of stairs were constructed to link us to the chambers.

THE ROLE

The Parliamentary Reporting Service produces an accurate and timely official record of debates in both Houses of Parliament and of evidence presented to parliamentary committees.

The prime focus for the Hansard operation is to produce a daily transcript for members of parliament as quickly as possible - certainly by the following day, and the first part of the transcript containing Question Time and Matters of Public Importance is always delivered to members later the same day.

Each member receives a draft transcript of the day's proceedings and they have five working days in which to make any corrections. The draft transcript is loaded on to the parliamentary Intranet, but not, at this stage, to the Internet. When all corrections are finalised, this version becomes the official Hansard, which then goes on the Internet. In addition, seven hard copies are printed - two for the Parliamentary Library; one for the Governor of Tasmania; one for the Leader of the other House; and one each for three of the major government departments.

Hansard has been available on the Internet since 1996, with access to Hansard reports of debates in both Houses of Parliament from 1992 onwards. We ceased producing any bound copies of Hansard in 2000.

THE PROCESS

From the inception of the Parliamentary Reporting Service in 1979 until last year an audio recording system using cassette tapes was used. The tapes were run for approximately five minutes each and then transcribed by staff in the typing pool. Subeditors would then listen to the cassettes and check and edit the transcripts before handing them to the Editor/Deputy Editor for the final edit, the Editor being responsible for one House of Parliament and the Deputy Editor the other. The transcripts would then be returned to the typing pool for correction before being proofread by the subeditors.

In 2001 a digital audio recording system was introduced as a more efficient and cost-effective way of producing the Hansard. The major impact has been felt by the editorial staff, who are in the process of changing from editing on paper to editing on screen. The transition has been smooth so far with the first part of the day spent editing on screen and the remainder editing on paper. A full transition will be made when the staff involved are competent at editing on screen.

THE STAFF

At its inception in 1979 the Parliamentary Reporting Service consisted of a full-time staff of seven - the Editor, the Deputy Editor, four subeditors and a supervising typist. A pool of casual typists was employed when Parliament was in session and for committee work. In 1980 two additional full-time subeditors were employed. This was necessary due to the very heavy workload borne by the editorial staff due to long and continuous parliamentary sittings and intensive committee work.

With the introduction of 'family friendly' sitting hours and a more verbatim style of editing, the staffing requirements have changed. At present there are three full-time staff - the Editor, a subeditor and the supervising typist - four casual subeditors and a pool of about fourteen casual typing staff. The number of casual staff to be employed on any given day depends, of course, on whether one or both Houses of Parliament are sitting.

EDITORS OF TASMANIAN HANSARD

Since Tasmanian Hansard was established in June 1979, there have been three editors:

Mr John PROUD June 1979 - October 1980.

Mr William WASHINGTON October 1980 - July 2001

Ms Jennifer BATCHLER July 2001 to date

THE FUTURE

Tasmanian Hansard is about to undergo a complete reorganisation over the coming election period. The purpose of the reorganisation is to introduce staffing requirements that are more compatible with the use of digital audio technology and on-screen editing and that reflect the Tasmanian Public Service's ethos of giving more autonomy to small teams or working groups. (This section will be updated when the staffing plan is implemented).

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Last date modified 10 January 2003.