Full description
Although the establishment of the agency is difficult to document, the regulation of public exhibition and entertainment premises was vested in the responsibility of the Colonial Secretary from as early as 1828. The Public Exhibition and Entertainment Act (9 Geo IV, Act No. 14) and amending legislation, Public Exhibition and Entertainment Act, 1850 (14 Vic, Act No. 23) prohibited theatrical representations in unlicensed public houses. The Colonial Secretary's responsibilities in relation to theatres and public halls were gazetted in 1896.
Administrative arrangements charged the Chief Secretary with responsibility for the issue of theatrical licenses and administration of the relevant acts, Public Exhibitions Act of 1850 and Public Exhibitions Act Amendment Act of 1873 (1).
The Theatres and Public Halls Act, 1908 (No. 13, 1908) provided the contemporary legislative framework for the issue of licences, including maintenance of a register of licences and instructions for the dissemination of regulations before both houses of Parliament and through the Government Gazette. The Act was administered by the agency, until 1987, when parts of Section 49 were split between the Attorney General and the Minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing.
However, by 15 September 1994, responsibility for administration of the Act was vested in the Attorney General. The Act provides for the licensing of premises used for public entertainment and public meetings.
The agency's responsibilities in administering the Act altered over time, but primarily encompassed the approval of building plans and specifications; building inspections of new premises, as well as licensed buildings at regular intervals; communication with various bodies and individuals in aspects of public safety, such as the Board of Fire Commissioners; and the provision of technical advice relating to legislative and departmental requirements. Administrative stability characterised the agency until January 1975, when it was transferred from the Chief Secretary to the Minister for Services.(2)
When the Department of Services was abolished in 1982, the Theatres and Public Halls Branch transferred to the Department of Local Government and Lands (3).
Later it was established as the Theatres and Public Halls Section within the Land and Building Development Branch of the Department of Local Government (4). As a result of a departmental restructure, the Theatres and Public Halls Branch was re-established in January 1987. The new Branch comprised of two units, an administrative unit and a technical unit.
Technical advice had been provided to the Section by Public Works Department staff attached to Government Architect’s Branch. Those personnel were seconded to the Department of Local Government until the Branch could develop its own technical expertise. (5)
State Records’ correspondence indicates further administrative change with Theatres and Public Halls Branch of the Department of Local Government & Cooperatives being encompassed into the Approvals Section of the Building Branch by September 1992. (6)
Further correspondence indicates the Policy and Reform Branch of the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning as the controlling agency for the records of the Theatres and Public Halls Branch in 2000. (7)
Agency activities have varied over time, although generally have been related to all aspects of the administration of the legislation dealing with the registration of premises, censorship and classification of films and regulation of the standard of public entertainments. Agency services have included the issue of licences in relation to theatres, public halls, drive-in theatres, open-air theatres and temporary structures; the issue of registration for exhibitors, producers and distributors of films; and various aspects of film censorship.
Endnotes
(1) Supplement to the New South Wales Government Gazette, 4 December1896, pp. 8773-8774.
(2). New South Wales Government Gazette, 10 January 1975, pp.139-150.
(3) New South Wales Government Gazette, 26 May 1982, p.2332.
(4) Department Local Government Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1987, p.69-71.
(5). Department of Local Government Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1987, p.69-71.
(6) Department of Local Government & Co-operatives, Theatres and Public Halls Branch, correspondence to the Archives Authority of New South Wales, 22 September 1992, AO 82/160D.
(7) Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Policy and Reform Branch, correspondence to Government Records Repository, 15 February 2000.
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