Agency:
Companies Office
Agency Number:
Start Date:
01 Jan 1870
End Date:
26 Mar 1979
Description:
Responsible for the registration and regulation of companies, firms (business names), friendly societies, some trade unions and various bodies established under private Acts of Parliament. During the nineteenth century it was apparently the practice for persons to lodge documents, particularly of a commercial nature, at the Supreme Court Registry. This was both to create an official record and to give public notice to the subject matter of the documents. There was no statutory duty to do so. This was the foundation for much Tasmanian corporate legislation and explains the presence of documents in the records of the Supreme Court. Formal registration began with the Act to encourage the Establishment of Banks for Savings (in reality not-for-profit savings associations) in 1849. The first general Companies Act came into force on 1 January 1870. Separate Acts followed for Life Assurance Companies in 1874, Mining Companies in 1884 and Foreigh Companies in 1895. The 1869 and 1895 Acts were replaced by the Companies Act 1920. Subsequent Companies Acts were passed in 1959 and 1962. Registration of companies was assigned to a Registrar of Companies with the the function performed in the interim by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. The registration of various forms of mortgage was also assigned to the Registrar. The Companies Registry was later separated from the Supreme Court Registry. Administratively the separation seems to have occurred in 1967 with the establishment of the Companies Section within the Supreme Court and Sheriff's Department. It comprised only inspectors and clerical staff so clearly the Registrar still held both posts. The Companies Section (sometimes referred to as the Companies Registry) was renamed the Corporate Affairs Office in 1979. (A brief paragraph on page 20 of the Mercury for 4 April 1979 reports a ministerial statement of the previous day that the name had changed to reflect the nature and functions of the Office and to conform to mainland practice. The change may have occurred as early as 26 March.);;
Legislation Administered:
Associations Incorporation Act 1964, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Act 1970, Baptist Union Incorporation Act 1902, Bills of Sale Act 1900, Boy Scouts Association Act 1950, Building Societies Acts 1876, 1887, 1895 and 1958, Business Names Act 1962, Casino Company Control Act 1973, Co-operative Industrial Societies Act 1928, Friendly Societies Act 1888, Girl Guides Association Act 1957, Hobart Gas Company Act 1977, Hobart Town Gas Company's Acts 1854 and 1857, Launceston Gas Company Acts 1858, 1859 and 1885, Limited Partnerships Act 1908, Partnership Act 1891, Printers and Newspapers Act 1911, Savings Bank Acts 1848 and 1917, Stock, Wool and Crop Mortgages Act 1930, Trades Unions Act 1889, Trustee Companies Act 1953, Trustee Companies (Amalgamation) Act 1978, War Terms Act 1921.
Legislation Creating:
Companies Act 1869 (33 Vic.No.22) provided for a Registrar of Companies who was initially the Registrar of the Supreme Court.
Legislation Abolishing Agency:
Administrative action.
Functions Performed:
Business management
Controlling Agencies:
| Supreme Court (Registrar's Office) (TA42) | 01 Jan 1824 | 31 Dec 1924 |
| Supreme Court and Sheriff's Office (TA40) | 01 Jan 1924 | 17 Jul 1989 |
Subsequent Agencies:
| Corporate Affairs Office (TA729) | 26 Mar 1979 | 31 Dec 1990 |
Series Created By Agency:
| SC318 Documents Deposited with the Court in Accordance with Various Company Acts. | 15 Mar 1830 | 31 Dec 1900 |
| SC359 Copies of Indentures Drawn Up As Deeds to Property Sold under Order of the Supreme Court As the Result of a Bill of Sale. | 12 Apr 1833 | 03 Jun 1919 |
| SC321 Co-Partnership Returns. | 01 Dec 1841 | 31 Dec 1896 |
| SC320 Copies of Returns of Co-Partnership entered Into. | 13 Dec 1841 | 31 Jan 1882 |
| SC314 Miscellaneous Correspondence relating to the Registration of Companies | 07 Aug 1850 | 12 Dec 1871 |
| SC337 Register of Returns Lodged for Companies under the Companies Acts 1859 and 1869 | 01 Dec 1859 | 30 Sep 1920 |
| SC338 Documents concerning the Registration of Friendly Societies | 01 Jan 1860 | 15 Apr 1999 |
| SC358 Bills of Sale and associated Papers. | 26 Oct 1860 | 29 Mar 1896 |
| SC323 Returns of Companies registered under the Companies Act 1869. | 19 Dec 1861 | 04 Jun 1980 |
| SC361 Alphabetical Registers of Bills of Sale under the Bills of Sale Registration Acts 1867 and 1900. | 20 Jun 1867 | 31 Dec 1993 |
| AC47 Registers of Defunct Companies | 01 Jan 1869 | 31 Dec 1966 |
| AF9 Alphabetical Registers of Companies | 01 Jan 1869 | 31 Dec 1964 |
| SC327 Returns of Companies registered under the Foreign Companies Act 1895 and Amendments. | 01 Jan 1869 | 31 Dec 1979 |
| SC536 Index to Registers (No. 1 - 10) of Mining Companies. | 01 Jan 1869 | 31 Dec 1979 |
| SC346 Index to Copies of Documents Lodged | 01 Jan 1870 | 31 Dec 1897 |
| SC345 Copies of Documents Lodged | 13 Jan 1871 | 31 Dec 1897 |
| SC326 Returns Filed by Companies under the Life Assurance Companies Act 1874. | 01 Jan 1874 | 31 Dec 1944 |
| SC339 Register of Life Assurance Companies | 02 Jan 1875 | 07 Mar 1944 |
| SC340 Applications, Draft Rules and associated Papers Submitted to the Registrar of Building Societies in Accordance with the Building Societies Act 1876. | 01 Jun 1876 | 31 Dec 1951 |
| SC509 Register of Documents relating to the Liquidation of Companies under the Mining Companies Act 1884. | 01 Jan 1885 | 31 Dec 1910 |
| SC531 Documents concerning Registration of Building Societies | 08 Oct 1888 | 23 Jun 1999 |
| AF17 Trade Union Files registered under the Trade Unions Act 1889 | 16 Mar 1891 | 14 Jul 1989 |
| SC400 Records of Companies (in Liquidation) Deposited in the Supreme Court under Section 242 of the Companies Act 1959. | 01 Jan 1894 | 31 Dec 1988 |
| SC329 Returns Made under the Hobart Gas Company Act 1854. | 01 Jan 1897 | 30 Apr 1959 |
| SC330 Returns Made under the Launceston Gas Company Act 1858. | 01 Jan 1897 | 31 Aug 1959 |
| SC328 Register of Documents Lodged by Foreign Companies | 14 Mar 1897 | 17 Aug 1922 |
| SC347 Documents concerning the Liquidation of Companies under the Mining Companies Act 1884. | 01 Apr 1898 | 31 Dec 1960 |
| SC341 Documents concerning the Registration of Firms under the Firms Act 1899. | 01 Jan 1900 | 31 Dec 1963 |
| SC342 Register of Applications under the Registration of Firms Act 1899. | 01 Jul 1900 | 31 Aug 1941 |
| SC343 Indexes to Register of Applications under the Registration of Firms Act 1899. | 01 Jul 1900 | 31 Aug 1941 |
| SC344 Applications for Registration under the Limited Partnerships Act 1908. | 01 Jul 1910 | 30 Sep 1920 |
| SC335 Documents of Incorporation and Returns of Companies As Required by the Co-Operative Industrial Societies Act. | 22 Dec 1910 | 14 Oct 1981 |
| SC331 Company Files | 01 Jan 1921 | 13 Jan 1999 |
| AF18 Register of Company Charges | 08 Mar 1921 | 21 Dec 1990 |
| AC46 Register of Foreign Companies | 01 Jan 1922 | 31 Dec 1964 |
| SC348 Alphabetical Index of Firms Struck Off the Register. | 01 Jan 1923 | 31 Dec 1944 |
| SC334 Documents of Companies Not registered under the Companies Act 1920. | 04 Aug 1924 | 01 Jan 1950 |
| SC355 Alphabetical Register of Stock Mortgages under the Stock Mortgages Act 1925. | 13 Mar 1926 | 31 Dec 1930 |
| AC48 Register of Co-Operative Industrial Societies | 01 Jan 1928 | 31 Dec 1966 |
| SC315 Correspondence relating to the Filing of Returns under the Friendly Societies Act 1888. | 01 Jan 1928 | 31 Dec 1934 |
| SC349 Card Register of Documents Filed by Companies under Various Acts. | 01 Jan 1929 | 31 Dec 1936 |
| SC354 Alphabetical Registers of Mortgages under the State Advances Act 1907 and 1935 | 01 Jan 1929 | 31 Jul 1984 |
| SC356 Alphabetical Register of Stock Mortgages under the Stock, Wool and Crop Mortgages Act 1930. | 01 Jan 1931 | 31 Jan 1972 |
| AC50 Index to registered Companies | 01 Jan 1940 | 31 Dec 1940 |
| AC52 Register of Foreign Companies | 01 Jan 1940 | 31 Dec 1949 |
| SC350 Cancelled Pages from a Loose-Leaf Register of Firms. | 01 Jan 1940 | 31 Dec 1947 |
| SC317 Correspondence relating to the Filing of Annual Returns As Required by the Companies Act 1920. | 01 Apr 1940 | 31 Dec 1952 |
| SC351 Index Cards to Firms Whose Registration has Expired, Been Cancelled, or Renewed. | 01 Jan 1942 | 31 Dec 1964 |
| SC336 Returns and associated Papers concerning Changes in the Constitution of Firms. | 01 Jan 1947 | 31 Dec 1961 |
| SC352 Statistical Returns of Companies registered in Tasmania under Various Acts. | 01 Jan 1949 | 31 Dec 1953 |
| AC45 Company Registers | 01 Jan 1950 | 19 Dec 1990 |
| SC316 Correspondence relating to the Registration of Firms under the Registration of Firms Act 1899. | 01 Jan 1951 | 31 Dec 1952 |
| AC54 Register of Company Notices Gazetted As Part of the Process of Companies Being Struck Off the Registers | 01 Jan 1955 | 31 Dec 1987 |
| AC49 Register of Building Societies | 01 Jan 1958 | 31 Dec 1965 |
| SC528 Annual Lists of Shareholders of Various Companies. | 01 Jan 1960 | 31 Dec 1969 |
| SC532 Mortgages under the Stock, Wool and Crop Mortgages Act 1930. | 01 Jan 1960 | 31 Dec 1965 |
| SC529 Foreign Company Documents. | 01 Jan 1961 | 31 Dec 1969 |
| AC53 List of Companies Struck Off the Register | 29 Aug 1961 | 08 Apr 1981 |
| SC537 Register of Businesses under the Business Names Act 1962. | 01 Jan 1962 | 03 Sep 1993 |
| SC534 Index Cards to Business Names registered under the 1962 Act | 01 Jan 1963 | 31 Dec 1967 |
| AE382 Index to Defunct Companies, Business Names, Trade Unions, Etc. | 01 Jan 1966 | 31 Dec 1990 |
| SC535 Alphabetical Register of Caveats entered at the Companies Office. | 01 Jan 1967 | 31 Dec 1970 |
| AC51 Minutes of Meetings, Papers and Agenda in Relation to the Ministerial Council for Companies and Securities | 01 Sep 1976 | 06 Feb 1991 |
| AF16 Correspondence about the Formation of the Australian Securities Commission and the Transfer of State Functions to the Commonwealth | 01 Jan 1979 | 31 Jan 1991 |