Old Parliament House, Canberra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Parliament House |
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Front (northeastern) elevation
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| Former names | Provisional Parliament House |
| Alternative names | Parliament House |
| General information | |
| Type | Parliament House |
| Architectural style | Stripped Classical |
| Address | 18 King George Terrace, Parkes, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°18′08″S 149°07′47″E / 35.30222°S 149.12972°E |
| Current tenants | Museum of Australian Democracy |
| Construction started | 28 August 1923 |
| Opened | 9 May 1927 |
| Renovated | 1992 |
| Cost | A£600,000 |
| Owner | Australian Government |
| Height | 18.5 metres (61 feet) (without flagpole) |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Brick |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Grounds | 2.5 hectares (6 acres) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Smith Murdoch |
| Renovating team | |
| Awards and prizes | Engineering Heritage Recognition Program |
| Official name: Old Parliament House and Curtilage, King George Tce, Parkes, ACT, Australia | |
| Type: | Listed place |
| Criteria: | A., B., D., E., F., G., and H. |
| Designated: | 22 June 2004 |
| Reference #: | 105318 |
Old Parliament House, also known as the Provisional Parliament House, was once the home of Australia's Parliament. It served as the main government building from 1927 to 1988. Before this, the Parliament met in Melbourne.
The building officially opened on 9 May 1927, when the government moved to the new capital city, Canberra. In 1988, a new and much larger Parliament House was built on Capital Hill. The Parliament then moved there.
Today, Old Parliament House is a special place. It is now the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House (MoAD). It also hosts temporary exhibitions, talks, and concerts. You can find it across Lake Burley Griffin, directly in front of the new Parliament House. It lines up with the Australian War Memorial.
The building was designed by John Smith Murdoch and his team. It was meant to be a "provisional" (temporary) building. It was planned to be used for about 50 years, not forever. The design included everything from the building itself to its gardens and furniture. Its style is called "Simplified" or "Stripped" Classical. This style was popular for government buildings in Canberra during the 1920s and 1930s. It looks neat and balanced, but without fancy columns or decorations.
Contents
What Does Old Parliament House Look Like?
Old Parliament House is a three-storey building made of brick. The main floor is in the middle. John Smith Murdoch designed it to be simple and useful. This can be seen in all parts of the building, even the furniture inside.
The front of the building has strong horizontal lines. It looks like it has two main levels. Taller parts on either side show where the two main meeting rooms (chambers) are. The lower part in the middle is where King's Hall is located. The building is about 18.5 metres (61 feet) tall without its flagpole.
The building was built using bricks made from Canberra clay. Its floors were made of timber and lightweight concrete. The outside was originally covered in white concrete, which has since been painted. However, the base of the building still shows the natural brick colour. Large painted symbols of the Royal and Commonwealth coats of arms are at the roofline, near the main entrance. The railings on the front steps were added after the Parliament moved out.
Inside, the simple, classic style continues. It uses common patterns and clean lines in its decorations and furniture. To show that Australia is a federation of states, the building uses different types of timber from various parts of Australia. Each state (except South Australia) contributed a native timber for different uses. The building also uses a lot of natural light from windows, skylights, and light-wells.
How the Building is Laid Out
The building has a very balanced and symmetrical layout. The main path through the building goes through King's Hall, the Parliamentary Library, and the dining rooms at the back. The cross path features the House of Representatives and Senate chambers, which are on either side of King's Hall.
The building was originally shaped like an 'H'. But after many additions, it now forms a large rectangle with a small section sticking out at the back. It has four courtyards and some light-wells inside. The courtyards are surrounded by covered walkways on the ground floor.
At the very centre is King's Hall. It is named after King George V. His statue stands in the room. Right next to King's Hall are the chambers for the House of Representatives (to the south-east) and the Senate (to the north-west). Further back are the Parliamentary Library and the dining rooms.
The rest of the main floor had offices and meeting rooms. On each side of the parliamentary chambers were meeting rooms for the government and opposition parties. There were also suites for the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. The basement had service areas and some offices. The top floor had more offices and facilities for the parliamentary press.
King's Hall: The Central Space
When you enter Old Parliament House, a flight of stairs leads up to King's Hall. This is a large square room with a walkway around its edges. The central part of the room has a patterned ceiling and is lit by windows high up on all four sides. The floor is made of beautiful wooden patterns using jarrah and silver ash timbers.
The most important feature in the room is a large bronze statue of King George V. He was the monarch when the building was finished. As the Duke of York, he also represented his father, King Edward VII, at the opening of the first Australian Parliament in Melbourne in 1901.
Around the room, on eight columns, are bronze pictures of important people who helped create the Commonwealth of Australia. In the walkway, you can see portraits of Australia's Governors-General, Prime Ministers, Speakers of the House of Representatives, and Presidents of the Senate. There are also pictures of important events, like the opening ceremony in 1927.
The Chambers: Where Laws Were Made
The Senate and House of Representatives chambers are large rooms with very high ceilings. Both chambers are the same size. They are lined with timber panels and have furniture in a similar simple, classic style. The timber used for the walls, desks, seats, and tables is Australian black bean wood and Tasmanian blackwood. The special carpets in each chamber have patterns of eucalyptus leaves and wattle blossom.
The Senate chamber is mostly red. This includes the carpet and the red leather seats and desks. This colour shows its role as the "upper house" and a place for careful discussion, similar to the House of Lords in the UK. The seats are arranged in a horseshoe shape around a central table. Each senator had a seat and a desk. At the end of the table is a desk for the clerks. Behind them is a large chair for the President. Behind the President's chair are two thrones. These were used by the monarch and their partner, or the Governor-General and their partner, during official events like the State Opening of Parliament.
The walls of the Senate chamber are lined with blackbean timber. Above this, there are galleries on each side. The gallery above the throne was for the press. Other galleries were for guests of senators, members of the House of Representatives, and the public.
The House of Representatives chamber looks similar to the Senate. However, it is mostly green. This colour represents its historical link to the House of Commons in the UK. The House of Representatives is the "lower house" and where governments are usually formed.
There are three main differences between the two chambers. First, the House of Representatives has more seats because it has more members than the Senate. Second, the front benches are long, continuous benches without desks, similar to the House of Commons. Third, the Speaker's Chair is very special. It is a copy of the Speaker's Chair in the British House of Commons. This chair was a gift from the British Parliament in 1926. Later, when the original British Speaker's Chair was destroyed in World War II, Australia gave timber to make a new one. The Royal coat of arms above the chair is carved from oak that was part of Westminster Hall in 1399. The armrests are made of oak from Nelson's famous ship, HMS Victory. This chair shows the strong connection between the Australian and British Parliaments.
Inside the Offices and Rooms
Many of the original interiors designed by Murdoch are still in the building, some with their first furnishings. The best-preserved rooms, besides King's Hall and the Chambers, are the Government party room, the Senate club room (also called the Senate Opposition party room), and the Clerk of the Senate's office. These rooms still have their original fittings and furniture. They follow Murdoch's simple, classic design.
The first building was small. It did not have individual offices for all members of Parliament. Ministers had offices in other nearby buildings. Because of this, the party rooms were not just for meetings. They also had private phone booths, washbasins, desks, and small areas for quiet discussions.
The Gardens of Old Parliament House
Originally, the courtyards at the back of the building were open to the gardens. Murdoch wanted members and senators to use the gardens as part of the building. However, this idea changed as more offices were added to the back of the building.
Murdoch also saw the nearby gardens as a continuation of the building's courtyards. These parliamentary gardens are on either side of the building. They are surrounded by hedges and have only a few trees. Each garden is divided into four sections. Two sections have rose gardens, and the other two have sports facilities. On the Senate side, there are tennis courts and a cricket pitch. On the House of Representatives side, there are tennis courts and a bowling/croquet green. In the 1970s, a large extension covered much of the House of Representatives gardens. But this extension has now been removed, and the gardens have been restored. They officially reopened in 2004.
The rose gardens have many different types of roses. Some are very old roses, and others were given by important Australians and people from other countries.
Building Extensions
Old Parliament House was only meant to be "provisional." So, it didn't have enough office space for everyone. This problem got worse when Prime Minister James Scullin moved his main office into the building in 1930. Eventually, all ministers and their staff moved into the building, making the space problem even bigger.
The first additions were made to the back of the building in 1947 to create more office space. More extensions were built in 1964. In the 1970s, large additions were made to both sides of the building and the south-west corner. The front of the building was extended to match Murdoch's original design. On the House of Representatives side, bigger extensions were needed. A large part of the gardens was built over and connected to the main building by a bridge.
The inside of the 1972–73 extensions shows the styles of that time. Wooden panels were used for the walls, like in the older parts of the building, but with a 1970s look. On the House of Representatives side, the extensions meant that the Prime Minister's offices and the original Cabinet Room had to be removed. These rooms are now kept as they were when Bob Hawke was Prime Minister, just before the move to New Parliament House in May 1988. Similar extensions were made on the Senate side, creating new rooms for the President of the Senate in a similar style.
History of the Building
Building a New Parliament House
A competition to design Parliament House was announced in 1914, but it was cancelled due to World War I. It was announced again in 1916 but postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, John Smith Murdoch, the government's chief architect, worked on the design as part of his job. He didn't really want to do it, as he thought it was a waste of money at the time. But he ended up designing the building anyway.
Construction of Old Parliament House started on 28 August 1923 and finished in early 1927. It was built by the Commonwealth Department of Works. Workers and materials came from all over Australia. The final cost was about £600,000, which was more than three times the first guess. It was designed to last for about 50 years until a permanent building could be built.
In 1923, Canberra was a small town with few buildings. Building Old Parliament House greatly increased the town's population. The workers and their families lived in camps and settlements. They had to deal with Canberra's tough weather. Once Parliament started meeting in Canberra, many government workers moved from Melbourne. This meant new houses had to be built in areas like Ainslie, Civic, Forrest, Griffith, and Kingston.
First Years of Parliament
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The building was opened on 9 May 1927 by the Duke and Duchess of York. The Duke later became King George VI. The opening ceremonies were very grand, even though Canberra was still a small town. The building was decorated with many Union Jacks and Australian flags. Similar decorations were used for later events, like in 1954 when Queen Elizabeth II visited Canberra for the first time. Temporary stands were set up in front of the Parliament and filled with crowds.
An Aboriginal elder named Jimmy Clements was one of only two Aboriginal Australians present. He had walked for about a week to be there. Walter Burley Griffin, who designed Canberra, was not officially invited to the opening. Dame Nellie Melba sang the national anthem (which was God Save the King at the time). The Duke of York unlocked the front doors with a golden key. He then led the official group into King's Hall, where he revealed the statue of his father, King George V. The Duke then opened the first parliamentary session in the new Senate Chamber.
A large memorial to King George V was placed across from Parliament House in 1953. This memorial was moved in 1968 to allow a clear view to the Australian War Memorial.
Two former Prime Ministers, John Curtin and Ben Chifley, lay in state in King's Hall after their deaths in 1945 and 1951. This is a special honour where a person's body is placed in a public building for people to pay their respects.
Later Years and Moving Out
On 26 January 1972, four Aboriginal men set up tents and signs in front of the building. They were protesting for Indigenous land rights in Australia and other Aboriginal rights. They called their camp the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. In 2022, the embassy celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is now the longest continuous protest for Indigenous land rights in the world.
In early 1973, there were worries about security at Parliament House. The Prime Minister's office was fitted with bulletproof glass.
On 11 November 1975, David Smith, an official from the Governor-General's office, read a statement from the front steps. This statement announced that Parliament was dissolved after the Whitlam government was dismissed by Sir John Kerr. Afterwards, Gough Whitlam spoke to the crowd, and his words became a famous part of Australia's political history.
By the 1970s, Old Parliament House was too small and needed a lot of repairs. It was never meant to be a permanent building. So, in the late 1970s, Malcolm Fraser's government decided to build a new Parliament House. After the new Parliament House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 May 1988, Old Parliament House was still used for a few more weeks. The last session ended on 3 June 1988. After this, Old Parliament House was empty for several years.
Life After the New Parliament House
After Parliament moved in 1988, there was a big discussion about whether to tear down Old Parliament House. Some people, including Walter Burley Griffin, thought the building's location would block the view of a permanent Parliament House. Griffin even said it was like "filling the front yard with outhouses." However, the government decided the building was too important to Australia's history to be demolished. They decided it should become a "living museum of political history."
Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
The building reopened in 2009 as the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. Its job is to celebrate democracy and Australia's political history.
The Australian Prime Ministers Centre was the first part of the Museum of Australian Democracy. It supports research into Australia's democracy, especially focusing on Australian prime ministers. The Centre offers special grants to researchers and artists interested in this history.
Interim National Portrait Gallery
The Library of Old Parliament House was used as a temporary National Portrait Gallery. It stayed there until its new building opened in 2009.
Fires at the Building
The building was damaged by fire twice during protests. On 21 December 2021, the front doors were scorched by a fire. Nine days later, on 30 December, the doors, front porch, and outside walls were badly damaged by a larger fire that was set on purpose. Repairs started, costing millions of dollars.
Engineering Heritage Award
Both the Old and New Parliament Houses have received an Engineering Heritage National Marker from Engineers Australia. This award recognises their importance in Australia's engineering history.
Images for kids
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The Prime Minister's office
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Sheep grazing near Parliament House in the 1940s
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John Curtin's casket lay in State in King's Hall, Old Parliament House, July 1945
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A rare colour picture of the opening of provisional parliament house in Canberra, 9 May 1927
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Desk used by many Prime Ministers, now on display at the Museum of Australian Democracy.
See also
In Spanish: Old Parliament House para niños
