The Registrar of Friendly Societies was established in 1873 by the Friendly Societies Act. 1873 (37 Vic. No.4). Previously the registration and regulation of Friendly Societies was governed by English law and then by the Friendly Societies Act 1843. The new Act required that all copies of rules, certificates and documents for all types of Mutual Benefit Societies previously filed in the custody of the Clerk of the Peace were to be transferred to the Registrar of Friendly Societies. The Registrar was responsible for all mutual societies which included Friendly Societies, Benefit Building Loan and Investment Societies, and Co-operative Trading and Industrial Societies. The Friendly Societies Act, 1899 (Act No.31, 1899) repealed the Act of 1873, except the provisions relating to Benefit-Building Loan and Investment Societies, and Co-operative Trading and Industrial Societies. The Act provided for the appointment by the Governor of a Registrar of Friendly Societies. The functions of the Registrar were to prepare and circulate model account, balance-sheet, and valuation forms to societies; and to collect, collate, and publish financial statistics on each society. In 1902, the Registry of Co-operative Societies was established under the Building and Co-operative Societies Act, 1901 (Act No.17, 1902). Under the Act, the Registrar of Friendly Societies became the Registrar of Co-operative Societies. On 8 July 1936 the responsibility for registering trade unions was transferred from the Registrar of Friendly Societies to the Industrial Registrar under the Trade Union Amendment Act, 1936 (Act No. 23, 1936).