Old Parliament House

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Old Parliament House, in front of Lake Burley Griffin
Main entrance

The Old Parliament House (German "Old Parliament Building"; formerly known as Provisional Parliament House ) is the former seat of the legislature of Australia in the capital Canberra . The meetings of the Senate and the House of Representatives took place in it from 1927 until they moved to the new parliament building, the Parliament House , in 1988 . The neoclassical building stands at the foot of Capital Hill within the Parliamentary Triangle and has been the location of the Museum of Australian Democracy since 2009 . The Aboriginal Tent Embassy , the unofficial " tent embassy " of the Aborigines , has stood on the green space in front of the house since 1972 .

history

Start of construction work (1923)
Official opening (1927)

When six British colonies merged to form the Australian Confederation in 1901, Melbourne and Sydney were the country's two largest cities. The rivalry was so great that neither city would have accepted it if the other had become capital. Finally, Article 125 of Australia's Constitution stipulated that a new capital should be built somewhere between Melbourne and Sydney. This should be north of the Murray River in the state of New South Wales , but at least 100 miles from Sydney. Melbourne was to be the temporary capital until the opening of the new parliament. From 1901 to 1927 the Federal Parliament met in the Parliament House in Melbourne, built in 1856 , while the Parliament of the State of Victoria moved to the Royal Exhibition Building for a period of 26 years . In 1909 the parliament agreed on the location of the new capital, today's Canberra. In 1911 the Australian Capital Territory was created and in 1913 construction began on the new planned capital .

On June 30, 1914, the federal government announced a design competition for a parliament building, which was endowed with prize money of 7,000 pounds . However, because of the outbreak of World War I the following month, she canceled the competition. It was advertised again in August 1916, but postponed indefinitely on November 24, 1916. In the meantime, the federal government's chief architect , John Smith Murdoch , was working on the draft as part of his official duties. He had little personal enthusiasm for the project as he thought it was a waste of money and the expenses for it could not be justified at the time. Nevertheless, he designed the building for lack of alternatives. After the First World War, the responsible planning authority, the Federal Capital Advisory Committee , decided to build a “temporary” parliament building in Canberra in order to bridge the time until a “permanent” building was built. Construction began on August 28, 1923 and was completed in early 1927.

The workers and building materials came from all over Australia. Wood from almost every state was used inside to reflect the federal nature of the building. The bricks came from the nearby Yarralumla brickworks and were transported to the construction site on a temporary works train. The cost of construction was estimated at £ 220,000, but ended up being £ 664,000; added £ 250,000 for the interior. On May 9, 1927, the future King George VI consecrated . the building officially entered in the presence of Prime Minister Stanley Bruce . From the same day on, Canberra was the new capital of Australia. Parliamentarians and government officials were not overly enthusiastic as they had to give up the comfort of Melbourne and move to what they thought was a remote, cold and dusty town.

On Australia Day 1972, four Aborigines set up the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawn in front of the parliament building to draw attention to the rejection of the Native Title by the government of William McMahon and to protest against the proposal of a new lease rule . Over the decades this "unofficial tent embassy " has developed into a permanent institution, even if the government has not officially recognized it to this day. Nevertheless, it initiated a change in the attitudes of the authorities towards the land rights of the Australian Aborigines.

For 61 years the building served as a "permanent temporary solution". Although a certain growth was taken into account in the planning, the parliament proved to be too small by the 1960s at the latest. The media in particular complained about the very tight space available. In addition, there was a considerable need for repairs and renovations. Due to the high expected costs, various governments repeatedly delayed the decision to build a new building. Construction work on the new parliament finally began in 1981 and lasted seven years. After Queen Elizabeth II opened the new parliament building on May 9, 1988, the old parliament building was used for a few more weeks. The last session of the Senate took place there on June 3, 1988.

The building then stood empty for several years. For a while it was planned to be torn down to allow an unobstructed view of the other side of the lake to the ANZAC Parade and the Australian War Memorial . After the government recognized the building's historical importance following protests, it decided that it should be preserved. However, it remained unclear what its future purpose would be. A number of proposals have been made, including the establishment of a government conference center with accommodation, a "peace ministry", an annex to house the parliamentary departments, a residence and office for the prime minister, and even a residence for the royal family. Ultimately, it was decided that it should best be used as a “living museum of political history”. From May 1998 to the end of 2008 the Old Parliament House served as the domicile of the National Portrait Gallery until it moved into its own building. Since May 2009 it has housed the Museum of Australian Democracy .

Building

King's Hall
House of Representatives
senate

Murdoch created a simple building in a style that he himself described as "simple interwar classicism". The brick building does not have any typical classical elements such as columns, horizontal platforms and ornamental gables, but it still has the neatness and symmetry that are generally associated with neoclassicism .

A statue created by Rayner Hoff in 1953 depicts King George V. It originally stood directly opposite the main entrance, but was moved to its current location in the garden in 1968.

The building was considered very modern for its time. Square and circular motifs shaped the architecture and furnishings of the entire building. They appear on the balcony railings, the floor design, the light fittings and the gold decoration of the glass doors. The building is filled with natural light through windows, skylights and light shafts . Gardens and inner courtyards offer places for relaxation or quiet reflection. Covered walkways surround and connect parts of the building. The three-story building is planned around the two halls of the legislature - the House of Representatives and the Senate . The front part includes party meeting rooms and offices as well as the halls. The relaxation areas at the rear of the building include the dining room and the parliamentary bar. The press offices take up most of the upper floor, while offices, kitchens, operating rooms and storage rooms are located on the lower floor.

Spaces

From the entrance a staircase leads up to the King's Hall . This hall, a large square room with a walkway on the outside, formed the center of the building and was the scene of ceremonies. It has a coffered ceiling and is illuminated from above through skylight windows on all four sides. The floor consists of parquet made of jarrah and silver ash wood. The room is bordered by a larger than life bronze statue of King George VI. dominates.

The Senate Chamber is characterized by the predominant color red, both in the carpet and in the red leather of the seats and desks. This reflects its role as the House of Lords resist, like the House of Lords in Westminster . The seating is arranged in a horseshoe pattern around a central table. Each senator had a seat and a desk, including the ministers who sat on the front benches. At the end of the table is a desk for the parliamentary officials, and behind them is a large chair for the Senate President. Behind it are two thrones that can be used on official occasions such as the opening of parliament. The furnishings correspond to the simplified classicist style of Murdoch.

The design elements of the hall of the House of Representatives largely correspond to those of the Senate. However, it is identified by the color green, in keeping with the historic legacy of the House of Commons in Westminster. There are three basic differences. There are three fundamental differences to the Senate Chamber. First, the House of Representatives is more crowded than the Senate, twice the number of members. Second, the front benches are long and have no tables throughout. Third, the chair of the speakers represents a significant stylistic contrast since it has a copy of the Speaker's Chair by Augustus Pugin is in the House. The royal crest above the chair is carved from oak that was originally incorporated into Westminster Hall in 1399 . The hinge flaps of the armrests are made of oak from Horatio Nelson's flagship HMS Victory . Thus, the chair symbolizes the link between the Australian Parliament and British history and the Parliament in Westminster.

Web links

Commons : Old Parliament House, Canberra  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Chapter VII. Miscellaneous. In: The Constitution of Australia. Australian Parliament, accessed March 6, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Michael Cannon: Australia Spirit of a Nation . Curry O'Neil Ross, South Melbourne 1985, ISBN 0-85902-210-2 , pp. 101 .
  3. ^ Robert Messenger: Mythical thing to an iced reality. In: Old Parliament House: 75 Years of History , Supplement to The Canberra Times , May 4, 2002.
  4. ^ Design and Construction. Museum of Australian Democracy, accessed March 6, 2020 .
  5. ^ As it was in the Beginning (Parliament House in 1927). Australian Parliament, accessed March 6, 2020 .
  6. ^ Australia Day under a beach umbrella. In: Collaborating for Indigenous Rights. National Museum of Australia , accessed March 6, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Willy Caruana: The Art of the Aborigines . Thames & Hudson, London 1999, ISBN 0-500-95051-2 , pp. 198 .
  8. ↑ Kate Armstrong: We're gonna party like it's 1988! Museum of Australian Democracy, June 2, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 .
  9. ^ To Demolish or Not to Demolish. Museum of Australian Democracy, 2009, archived from the original on May 23, 2009 ; accessed on March 8, 2020 (English).
  10. ↑ George V. Monuments Australia, accessed March 8, 2020 .
  11. ^ Design and Construction. Museum of Australian Democracy, June 2, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 .
  12. ↑ King's Hall. Museum of Australian Democracy, June 2, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 .
  13. ^ The Senate Chamber. Museum of Australian Democracy, June 2, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 .
  14. ^ House of Representatives Chamber. Museum of Australian Democracy, June 2, 2018, accessed March 8, 2020 .

Coordinates: 35 ° 18 ′ 8 ″  S , 149 ° 7 ′ 46 ″  E