New Hebrides Representative Assembly
Open-knowledge reference entry
The New Hebrides Representative Assembly was the unicameral legislature of the New Hebrides Condominium (present-day Vanuatu) from 1975 to 1980. It was the first elected legislative arm in the condominium.
The Representative Assembly replaced the unelected advisory council. It had initially 42 members, and the 1975 elections with universal suffrage allowed Melanesians to participate for the first time. In addition to the members elected by universal suffrage also other interest groups elected members. The first meeting of the assembly took place in July 1976. The British and the French resident commissioners had override veto power over assembly decisions.
New Hebrides became internally self-governing in January 1978 under an administration formed by George Kalsakau. The pro-independence Vanua'aku Pati (VP) had boycotted the November 1977 election and formed a competing Vanuaaku People's Provisional Government, which controlled most of the islands. The provisional government was suspended in May 1978 and a new government of national unity was formed in December 1978, drawing both from Assembly members and from the extraparliamentary Vanua'aku Pati.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “New Hebrides Representative Assembly” is open-knowledge reference entry. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hebrides, Representative and Assembly, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “open-knowledge reference entry” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q123232388. The first chronological checks are 1975, 1980, 1976 and 1978.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “New Hebrides Representative Assembly”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow New Hebrides Representative Assembly primary sources, New Hebrides Representative Assembly archive and Hebrides research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “New Hebrides Representative Assembly”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “New Hebrides Representative Assembly” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.