[2018.0114] Records of the Australian Constitutional Convention

Description

IdentifierUMA-ACE-20180114Extentnot specifiedLinear Meteragenot specifiedScope and ContentThis collection contains records of the activities and achievements of the Australian Constitutional Convention (ACC) 1973-85, and the Australian Constitutional Convention Council which carried the Convention's work into the early 1990s. The collection also includes files dating from 1972 to 1973 recording preparations for the first Convention, and historical documents from the nineteenth century onwards relevant to the Australian Constitution and its review.
The Convention met six times between 1973 and 1985. These plenary sessions were attended by delegates from Commonwealth, State and Territory Parliaments, local government representatives, and observers from the general public. Between these meetings, an energetic Chief Executive Officer, Secretariat, various committees and consultants continued the research and deliberations of the Convention and planned the next plenary session. Some of the State, Territory and Commonwealth delegations held separate meetings and circulated their own briefing notes as a Convention approached.
Records accumulated by the Convention Secretariat form the bulk of this collection. Over 500 files house records such as correspondence, submissions, minutes, working papers and reports. There are also bound volumes, audiotapes, videocassettes, photographs and other items. The collection includes records of attendance, debates and decisions at the plenary sessions, such as signed rolls of delegates and printed proceedings; and records of meetings of committees during the intervening months and years.
Many of the files in the collection were compiled by Chief Executive Officer John Finemore, one of his assistants, or one of the research officers connected with the Secretariat. As the Secretariat was located in Melbourne, records of associated people such as secretaries to the Victorian Delegation have found their way into the collection, as has a set of files originally belonging to Victoria's A.R.B. McDonnell (Clerk of the Parliaments and Clerk of the Legislative Council) who became one of the clerks to the Convention. Although this collection is very extensive, it does not include all relevant records. Some related records are held at the National Australian Archives. Researchers might also wish to consult State and Territory archives offices regarding any other records connected with the work of the ACC and delegations, and/or the Australian Constitutional Convention Council.
The custodian of this collection was originally the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies (CCCS), at The University of Melbourne and was housed in the John Finemore Room at the Centre. It was later stored in the Finemore Room in the University of Melbourne’s Law Library, and in 2018 was transferred to the custody of the University of Melbourne Archives.
John Finemore's hand is evident throughout this collection. As Chief Executive Officer, he became the Convention's main spokesperson and point of contact. He corresponded with committee members, delegates and members of the public, oversaw the compilation of reference material and encouraged research. The richness of the ACC collection, and its survival, is largely attributable to John Finemore.Collection CategoryCommunity and PoliticalAccess StatusOpen for public accessRequest Access to RecordsRequest records from this AccessionSearch within this Accession

Item

Image

Unit

Sound

Moving Image

Provenance

CreatorAustralian Constitutional Convention

Provenance

CreatorFinemore, John

Dates

Date1973-1985

Description Control

Previous System ID2018.0114State of ListFully listedDescriptive NoteThe collection was listed by Archivists Heather McRae and Anne Mullins at the Centre and published in 1998. The description of the collection entered here is by Heather McRae from the publication.
A copy of the listing is available in the Baillieu Library 016.34294024 MCRA, and a digital copy can be found online
Other Finding Aidshttp://hdl.handle.net/11343/27655

University of Melbourne Archives

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[2018.0114] Records of the Australian Constitutional Convention