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==Before the establishment of Canberra== |
==Before the establishment of Canberra== |
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[[Image:ac.parlthousemelb.jpg.JPG|thumb|[[Parliament House, Melbourne]] was home to Federal Parliament for 26 years.]] |
[[Image:ac.parlthousemelb.jpg.JPG|thumb|[[Parliament House, Melbourne]] was home to Federal Parliament for 26 years.]] |
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During 1901, when the six British colonies in Australia federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia, [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]] |
During 1901, when the six British colonies in Australia federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia, [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]] WERE THE 2 SMALLEST CITIES in the country, but the long history of rivalry between them meant that neither could become the national capital. Section 125 of the [[Constitution of Australia]] therefore provided that: |
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''The seat of Government of the Commonwealth shall be determined by the Parliament, and shall be within territory which shall have been granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth, and shall be vested in and belong to the Commonwealth, and shall be in the State of [[New South Wales]], and be distant not less than one hundred miles from Sydney.'' |
''The seat of Government of the Commonwealth shall be determined by the Parliament, and shall be within territory which shall have been granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth, and shall be vested in and belong to the Commonwealth, and shall be in the State of [[New South Wales]], and be distant not less than one hundred miles from Sydney.'' |
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</blockquote> |
</blockquote> |
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Revision as of 04:10, 16 June 2011
| Parliament House | |
|---|---|
 The main entrance and the flag mast | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Canberra |
| Country | Australia |
| Construction started | 1981 |
| Completed | 1988 |
| Inaugurated | 9 May 1988 |
| Cost | A$1.1 billion |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 250,000 m² |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Romaldo Giurgola |
| Architecture firm | Mitchell/Giurgola Architects |
Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 9 May 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia.[1] At the time of the construction, it was the most expensive building in the Southern Hemisphere at more than A$1.1 billion.[citation needed]
Federal Parliament meetings were first held in Melbourne until 1927. Prior to 1988, the Parliament of Australia met in the Provisional Parliament House, which is now known as "Old Parliament House". Construction of Australia's permanent Parliament House was delayed while its location was debated. Construction of the new building began during 1981. The principal design of the structure is based on the shape of two boomerangs and is topped by an 81-metre flagpole.
It contains 4,700 rooms and many areas are open to the public. The main foyer contains a marble staircase and leads to the Great Hall which has a large tapestry on display. The House of Representatives chamber is decorated green while the Senate chamber has a red colour scheme. Between the two chambers is the Members' Hall which has a water feature and is not open to the public. The Ministerial Wing houses the office of the Prime Minister and other Ministers.
Before the establishment of Canberra
During 1901, when the six British colonies in Australia federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia, Melbourne and Sydney WERE THE 2 SMALLEST CITIES in the country, but the long history of rivalry between them meant that neither could become the national capital. Section 125 of the Constitution of Australia therefore provided that:
The seat of Government of the Commonwealth shall be determined by the Parliament, and shall be within territory which shall have been granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth, and shall be vested in and belong to the Commonwealth, and shall be in the State of New South Wales, and be distant not less than one hundred miles from Sydney.
Such territory shall contain an area of not less than one hundred square miles, and such portion thereof as shall consist of Crown lands shall be granted to the Commonwealth without any payment therefor. The Parliament shall sit at Melbourne until it meet at the seat of Government.
During 1909, after much argument, the Parliament decided that the new capital would be in the southern part of New South Wales, on the site which is now Canberra. The Commonwealth acquired control over the land during 1911, but World War I intervened, and nothing was done for some years to build the city. Federal Parliament did not leave Melbourne until 1927.
In the meantime the Australian Parliament met in the 19th century edifice of Parliament House, Melbourne,[2] while the Victorian State Parliament met in the nearby Royal Exhibition Building for 26 years.
Old Parliament House
After World War I the Federal Capital Advisory Committee was established to prepare Canberra to be the site of government, including the construction of a Parliament House. The committee decided that it would be best to erect a "provisional" building, to serve for a predicted 50 years until a new, "permanent" House could be built. In the event, Old Parliament House was Parliament's home for 61 years. In the last decade of its use as a parliament the building had a chronic shortage of available space.[3]
New Parliament House
During 1978 the Fraser government decided to proceed with a new building on Capital Hill, and the Parliament House Construction Authority was created.[3] A two-stage competition was announced, for which the Authority consulted the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and, together with the National Capital Development Commission, made available to competitors a brief and competition documents. The competition drew 329 entries from 28 countries.[4]
The competition winner was the New York-based architectural company of Mitchell/Giurgola, with the on-site work directed by Italian architect Romaldo Giurgola,[5][6] with a design which involved burying most of the building under Capital Hill, and capping the edifice with an enormous spire topped by a large Australian flag. The facades, however, included deliberate imitation of some of the patterns of the Old Parliament House, so that there is a slight resemblance despite the massive difference of scale.
Construction began during 1981, and the House was intended to be ready by Australia Day, 26 January 1988, the 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia. It was expected to cost A$220 million. Neither the deadline nor the budget were met.[7] The building was opened finally by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 May 1988, the anniversary of the opening of both the first Federal Parliament in Melbourne on 9 May 1901 by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V),[8] and of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra on 9 May 1927 by the Duke of York (later King George VI).[9]
From above, the design of the site is in the shape of two boomerangs enclosed within a circle. Much of the building is buried beneath Capital Hill, but the meeting chambers and accommodation for parliamentarians are free-standing within the boomerang-shaped arms. The total size of the site is 32 hectares.[10] The building itself is 300 m in length and width and contains 250,000 m2 of floor space.[11]
There are 25,000 granite slabs on the curved walls which, placed end to end, would stretch 46 kilometres. The building required 300,000 cubic metres of concrete, enough to build 25 Sydney Opera Houses and has a design life of at least 200 years.[12] The building has 4,700 rooms and has 2,416 clocks that are used for calling members or senators to a vote.[7] On a non-sitting day there could be 2,000 to 3,000 people working there.
The flag flown from the 81 metre flagpole is 12.8 m by 6.4 m, about the size of half a tennis court.[12] The flagpole weighs 220 tonnes and is made of polished stainless steel from Newcastle. It was designed to be the pinnacle of Parliament House and is an easily recognisable symbol of national government. It is visible by day from outside and inside Parliament House and floodlit at night. The flag itself weighs approximately 15 kg.
3,000 original artworks are displayed in the building.[4] The Queen's Terrace Café located on the first floor[10] is open to both the public and Members of Parliament.
Although security has been greatly increased during recent years, much of the building is open to the public.
The building was designed to "sit above" Old Parliament House when seen from a distance, It was proposed originally to demolish Old Parliament House so that there would be an uninterrupted vista from the New Parliament House to Lake Burley Griffin and the Australian War Memorial, but there were successful representations for preservation of the historic building, which now houses a parliamentary museum.
The original idea was for Parliament House to be open freely to the public, and the sweeping lawns leading up to the entrances were intended to symbolise this. The building is a major visitor attraction in Canberra with about 1 million visits each year.[11] With the increased risk of terrorist attacks during recent years the security of Parliament House has been increased greatly. One result has been the construction of crash barriers blocking vehicular access to the lawns.
Layout
The public entrance to Parliament House opens into a main foyer leading into the Great Hall, which features a tapestry based on a painting by Arthur Boyd, the original of which is also displayed in the building. Functions that have parliamentary and federal relevance often occur here, but the Great Hall is also open to functions for the general public, such as weddings, and the nearby University of Canberra hosts graduation ceremonies here.
Below the tapestry of the Great Hall is a removable division which opens on to the Members' Hall, which has a water feature at its centre. This is an area restricted to security-classified occupants of the building and special visitors. Directly ahead of the Members' Hall is the Ministerial Wing, housing the office suites of the Prime Minister and government Ministers. The Members' Hall has access to the House of Representatives and the Senate buildings to the left and right of the main entrance to the halls respectively. Public access to the visitors' galleries and the Main Committee Room is via an upper level reached by impressive marble staircases ascending from the entrance foyer. There are also 19 committee rooms which are open to the public and a very secure Cabinet Room on the ground floor.[11]
House of Representatives
In commemoration of the colour scheme of the British House of Commons, the House of Representatives is decorated in green. However, the colour is muted to suggest the colour of eucalyptus leaves.
From the perspective of the image, the press gallery is ahead, with public galleries containing 388 seats[10] to the left and right. Soundproofed galleries for school groups are directly above these, as no talking is permitted when the House members are present.
Frontbench (Cabinet) members approach the table with the ornate box (pictured), known as the despatch box, to speak. Backbenchers have a microphone on their desk, and merely stand to speak (unless they cannot stand), in accordance with standing order 60.
Also on the table is a copy of Hansard and where the clerk and deputy clerk sit. The clerk needs to know all the rules of Parliament and is responsible for ringing the bells during a division (voting). In front of the clerk are the hour glasses. The outer glasses measure four minutes and the middle glass measures two. These glasses are turned when there is a division; one of the four-minute glasses is turned and the bells will ring and the clocks will flash green for the House of Representatives or red for the Senate for four minutes. After the hour glass stops, the house's attendants will lock the doors and the whips will count the votes. Members vote by either moving to the government side of the house for a vote for a bill or the opposition side for a vote against a bill. If there is a division soon after another division, the middle hour glass will be turned and the bells will ring for two minutes.
As is the custom with Westminster parliaments, members of the governing party sit to the Speaker's right, and the Opposition sits to the Speaker's left. Independents and minor parties sit on the cross-benches. The long benches (the front benches) closest to the despatch boxes are reserved for the Cabinet on the government's side and the "Shadow Cabinet" on the Opposition's side.
Senate
The Senate building matches the colour scheme of the House of Lords, decorated in red, but muted to tints of ochre, suggesting the earth and the colours of the outback.
The gallery arrangement is almost identical to that of the House of Representatives. Unlike the House of Representatives, only the leader of the government or opposition in the Senate approaches the lectern; other frontbench senators and all backbench senators have a desk microphone. As can be seen from the illustrations, unlike the House of Representatives, there is not any distinction between the front and back benches in the Senate chamber; Senate ministers and their opposition counterparts have the same two-seat benches as all other senators. The press gallery is located above the Senate chamber. The presiding officer of the Australian Senate is the President of the Senate. He occupies a position in the Senate chamber similar to that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Behind the seat of the President of the Senate are two large seats which are modern versions of thrones. The larger is used by the Governor-General or the monarch (when visiting) when they open Parliament at the start of a new parliamentary session. The vice-regal consort or the royal consort (when visiting) sits in the smaller throne.
See also
References
- ^ The Australian Political System, p. 737
- ^ Australia Spirit of a Nation, p. 101
- ^ a b Blenkin, Max (1 January 2009). "Parliament forced to build new Parliament House in Canberra". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Parliament House in Canberra, Australia". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Tony Stephens, "Like his work, he'll blend into the landscape", Sydney Morning Herald, 3 July 1999
- ^ "A symbol built to last" (PDF). Australian Government. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ a b Dunkerley, Susanna (8 May 2008). "Parliament House to mark 20th birthday". Nine News. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ Australia Spirit of a Nation, p. 100
- ^ Australia Spirit of a Nation, p. 146
- ^ a b c "Parliament of Australia Visitors". Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ a b c "A Closer Look: Australia's Parliament House". Parliamentary Education Office. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
- ^ a b "43 Parliament House Facts". Parliamentary Education Office. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
Books, letters, articles, websites
- Parliament House Construction Authority (1986). Australia's New Parliament House. Barton, ACT: The Authority. pp. 85pp. ISBN 0 64209-999-5.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Lovell, David W (1998). The Australian Political System. South Melbourne: Addison Wesley Longman Australia Pty Ltd. p. 950. ISBN 0 582 81027 2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Cannon, Michael (1985). Australia Spirit of a Nation. South Melbourne: Curry O'Neil Ross Pty Ltd. ISBN 0 85902 210 2.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Charlton, Ken (2001). Federal Capital Architecture Canberra 1911-1939 (2nd Edition, Paperback, 2001 ed.). Canberra, Australia: National Trust of Australia (ACT). ISBN 0-9578541-0-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "Old Parliament House - Canberra". Retrieved 2007-10-08.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "Parliament House Canberra". Retrieved 2007-10-08.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "Canberra - Australia's Culture Portal". Retrieved 2007-10-08.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "The Parliament of Australia: a Bibliography". Indiana University. 2005. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)
External links
- Parliament of Australia
- Old Parliament House
- Parliament House / image trail from Picture Australia.
- This Australian ABC page gives an account of the new Parliament House.
- Australianexplorer Parliament House tourism site.