The Importance of Accessing Parliamentary Documents Through Sabinet
Parliamentary documents are useful for legal and financial professionals, business executives, and active citizens who want to understand the law better and monitor legislative changes. Parliamentary documents can be understood to be papers which have been “tabled in parliament and printed by parliament.” These documents include government gazettes, annual reports, white papers, budget papers, and parliamentary committee reports. Ultimately, these documents are an official way for the government to communicate information to the general public and ensure that it is securely recorded on a digital database.
Sabinet’s digital archive of government gazettes is a one-stop solution for those looking to access current and historical parliamentary documents. Sabinet allows users to access real-time, up-to-date government information and older publications so that they can stay ahead of the curve and track any amendments. Thanks to our efficient and highly organised indexing system, users can access parliamentary documents with ease rather than having to sift through hundreds of publications.
There are several reasons why individuals might want to utilise Sabinet to access government documents and reports; these include:
- Sourcing and referencing proclamations made by the President.
- Finding specific Bills and final Acts.
- Searching gazettes by categories, such as notices pertaining to deceased estates, legal issues, liquor notices, road carrier permits, liquidations, insolvencies, orders of the court, and public auctions.
- Checking compliance regarding liquidation.
- Utilising publications for academic or legal research.
When you choose Sabinet, you can access the following parliamentary documentation:
- Government gazettes from all of the nine provinces from 1995 to the present day
- Retrospective gazettes before 1994
- Bill tracker (which offers a comprehensive overview of the parliamentary catalogue and all associated legislative processes)
- Draft bills and other documentation which has been sourced from parliament
- A specialised, customisable monitoring service, well-suited for industry-specific developments and changes
Our daily monitoring service will also ensure that you’re always ahead. We’ll send daily emails updating you on legislative changes in your chosen fields.
Sabinet Supports the Distribution of Information: Access to Parliament Documents is a Constitutional Right
South Africa’s Constitution stipulates that all members of the public should have access to state-held information. In fact, transparency is paramount if the ideals enshrined within the Constitution are to be upheld. Section 32 of the Bill of Rights reads:
- Everyone has the right of access to
- a) any information held by the state; and
- b) any information that is held by another person and that is required for the exercise or protection of any rights.
- National legislation must be enacted to give effect to this right and may provide for reasonable measures to alleviate the administrative and financial burden on the state.
In accordance with this right, it is vital that the public can access parliamentary publications with ease. Sabinet has a vast collection of parliamentary publications, ensuring that they are efficiently indexed and stored. As time moves on, it becomes near to impossible for physical libraries to house the mountain of ever-changing and growing parliamentary documentation. A digital database, on the other hand, always has space, thus staying relevant and securely storing the most up-to-date information.
Access Parliamentary Documents Online with Sabinet
Digital archives have revolutionised the storing of important information and streamlined the ability for legal professionals and citizens to access relevant public information with ease and time efficiency. While search engines like Google are immensely valuable and can offer scholars an abundant amount of data, they’re often not as streamlined as purposefully digitised databases. Here at Sabinet, we strive to simplify your search by giving users instant access to critical parliamentary documents. We take the stress out of the process by organising and indexing the documents for you.
Register with Sabinet Today
If you want a wealth of relevant, factual, and organised legal information at your fingertips, why not register on Sabinet’s platform? Our specialised reference database contains a comprehensive collection of parliamentary publications, legal research and collections in business and finance, education, medicine and health, and more.
We are passionate about facilitating access to information and providing public access to accurate information for close to half a century. For more information on how Sabinet can assist you, get in touch via our contact form.