Can I watch a sitting of Parliament? YES. Visitors are welcome to watch proceedings of both Houses of Parliament from the public galleries at any time that Parliament is sitting. Certain rules apply to people in the public galleries: Visitors must not interject, attempt to communicate with members, display notices or cause a disturbance. Visitors should be appropriately dressed. Eating, drinking and smoking are not permitted. Photography, filming and videoing of proceedings are not permitted. It has been a longstanding practice in the Legislative Assembly to prohibit note taking in the Public Gallery. The prohibition stems from rules originally adopted by the British House of Commons in the 17th century to ensure debates were kept secret from the then monarch. Because of the demand for a more immediate knowledge of proceedings in Parliament and a wide range of people using the public galleries, on 24 October 2000 the Speaker directed that the taking of notes in the public gallery for personal use is now permitted. Note-taking in the public galleries of the Legislative Council remains prohibited. Members of the public should be aware that any notes taken should not be published as they are not legally protected. Hansard is the only official version of the debates in the Parliament of Victoria. Accredited media representatives record and take notes on proceedings from the Press Gallery.