Establishment and Function

The Public Works Committee was established by the Public Works Committee Act 1935 (No.4288) as a Joint Select Committee of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Section 19 of the Act established that the Committee was to report on any proposal for ..the carrying out of public works (whether such works are continuations, completions, repairs, reconstructions, extensions or new works)... referred to it by the Governor in Council. Public works was defined in the Act as works which were carried out by the Crown, any Government Department or any public authority as defined by the Act or those works for which the State provided money for or towards their carrying out. In establishing this Committee, the Act abolished the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways.

Section 19(4) of the Act also specified that in considering and reporting on such works, the Committee should have regard:

"... (a) to the stated purpose thereof;

(b) to the necessity or advisability of carrying them out; and where such works purport to be of a reproductive or revenue-raising character, ....... to the amount of revenue which such works may reasonably be expected to produce;

(c) to the present and prospective public value of such works; and

(d) to the amount of employment which would be provided by the carrying out of such works....

The Act further specified that any proposal with an estimated cost greater than twenty thousand pounds which was referred to the Committee could not be commenced or proceeded with until the Committee had submitted its report.

The Committee was required to submit reports relating to specific proposals in writing to the Governor in Council. A general report of their proceedings under the Act was also required to be submitted before the commencement of each session of Parliament. These general reports were also tabled in both Houses of Parliament.

The Committee comprised six members (seven from June 1973) of whom two could be Members of and appointed by the Legislative Council and four (five from June 1973) could be Members of and appointed by the Assembly.

Abolition of the Committee

The Public Works Committee was abolished by the Parliamentary Committees (Joint Investigatory Committees) Act 1982 (No. 9765).

Records of the Public Works Committee are listed below.

**Special Access Conditions**

Although records transferred from this agency are available for public inspection, special access conditions apply. The records have been transferred to the Public Record Office on the understanding that they remain the property of the Parliament of Victoria. Parliamentary records are transferred on condition that all requests for access will be referred to the Clerk of the Legislative Council/Legislative Assembly as appropriate, for determination in each case.

Application to inspect the records should be made to the appropriate officer and written authorisation must be presented at the Public Record Office Search Rooms before records can be made available for inspection.