The art of hansard reporting, stenography and its origins

About the Guest Speaker - Melissa Pilkington

Melissa grew up in Canberra, moved to Brisbane and then to Perth in her early 20s. She has worked for the Parliament of Western Australia since 2010, with a short hiatus when she moved to Melbourne to transcribe criminal cases in the County and Supreme Courts. She runs her own business and does transcription work from home. Melissa loves her role and looks forward to the opportunity to spread the word about the little-known occupation of stenography.

When Melissa returned to Perth she wanted to meet people and volunteer with the same group on a regular basis. She joined Rotaract and then Rotary. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Beaufort and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Mt Lawley.

Overview of Presentation

Hansard is named after the family of printers and publishers who produced the record of British parliamentary debates from 1812 to 1889. Hansard is the official record of parliamentary debates.

Melissa will share her knowledge about her role as a Hansard reporter and stenographer using machine shorthand to create the written record of what is said in the Parliament.

Key Take-aways:

Melissa will explain the origins of Hansard, how Stenographic machines work, technological advancements and automation in the industry and why stenography is still the most efficient and accurate form of transcription - at least for now!

Times:
WA: 12:00pm
SA/NT: 1:30pm
VIC/TAS/NSW/ACT/QLD: 2:00pm
NZ: 4:00pm