OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE AND CURTILAGE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2008–2013

D. History of the Place
Part D – Appendices
Old Parliament House and Curtilage Heritage Management Plan 2008–2013
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at the request of the then Speaker, Sir Littleton Groom, and feature the ‘Fathers of Federation’. With the
exception of the large ceramic sculpture by George Tinworth, presented by Royal Doulton in 1929, few artworks
presented to Parliament remain on display today. Historic portraits of former Prime Ministers who served in
the building, being on loan from various collections to Old Parliament House, currently hang in King’s Hall.
Murdoch retained a preference for natural lighting and made provision in his building design for generous
windows, skylights and high ceilings. The elegant light fittings which were designed for Provisional
Parliament House, some of which survive today, include large suspended luminaires with Classical
ornamentation, and simple glass bowls suspended on chains. 96 Later installations have attempted to respect
the simplicity of the interior and reinforce the original concept of introducing light into internal spaces.
Interesting features in Provisional Parliament House are the wall mounted electric Simplex clocks and
division bells connected to flashing green and red lights and encased in maple boxes. Originally timed to
two minutes to allow Members time to return to the Chambers, the time was increased to three minutes
following alterations to the building which increased the time taken to walk from outer areas of the House.
In keeping with Murdoch’s sense of a hierarchy of spaces, the selection of floor coverings for Provisional Parliament
House reflected the status of the spaces. An Australian timber floor of jarrah and mountain ash was laid in the
major ceremonial space in King’s Hall extending along borders into the lobbies and vestibules. A rubber sheet floor
with the Australian coat of arms was made for the Entrance while a variety of patterns were laid in the recreational
areas and thoroughfares. A bordered carpet was fitted to the Library floor while individual shaped carpets were
supplied for offices and Committee Rooms. Carpets were laid with timber or rubber floor borders in all other
spaces. The floor covering for the Chambers, originally intended to be carpet with Australian decorative motifs,
was rubber, replaced with carpet for acoustic reasons in 1929. None of the original floor coverings are evident
in the major areas in Provisional Parliament House, although the parquetry in King’s Hall is a reconstruction. 97
The acquisition of furniture and fittings following the original fit out in 1927 can be classified into three
major categories. As the numbers of Ministers increased from the original complement of 109 to 224,
and support, ancillary staff and the media contingent swelled, Parliament House underwent numerous
periods of expansion and alteration of the building to create additional office space. A consequence of this
expansion was the acquisition of additional items of furnishing, many of which in later years were standard
office items of little significance. A second demand for new furniture and fittings resulted from the desire
for improved facilities for Royal Visits and major ceremonial occasions. Among the furniture acquired were
a number of items designed and made by Fred Ward, whose furniture graces many Canberra buildings.
A third major phase of redevelopment occurred with the remodelling of: the offices occupied by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives; the suite of rooms occupied by the Prime Minister and his staff; and the Cabinet Room
area. New furniture crafted by Decro Pty Ltd in Melbourne was commissioned to complement these rooms. The
most recent gift of furniture was the two timber benches crafted by Beard Watson and Co and featuring carved
State floral emblems, from the Returned Services League in June 1966 to commemorate their fiftieth anniversary.
Despite the increased pressure on the facilities in Provisional Parliament House, politicians
displayed a restraint when it came to the expenditure of public funds. Indeed, the fact that
so much of the original furniture remains is in part due to their respect for the building and its
contents in the knowledge that this, after all, was only a temporary home for Parliament.
Conservation history
Old Parliament House has had a chequered history in its years since the decision to relocate Federal Parliament
to a new building on Capitol Hill.
1969 A Joint Select Committee on the new and permanent Parliament House agreed that whatever the site for
the new Parliament House, the old one must go.
Recognising the potential threat to the future of Old Parliament House, the National Trust (ACT)
nominated the place for entry on the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate.
1980 Old Parliament House was entered on the interim list of the Register of the National Estate after fierce
opposition from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir Billy Snedden. However this was part of a
bigger issue concerning Parliament’s rights to control its own operations and functions, including the right not
to have OPH listed. The Joint House Department sought the Attorney General’s advice on this matter. The
resulting decision was that the Heritage Commission clearly did have the power to include OPH on the Register.
1984 Report on the Future of the Provisional Parliament House by Joint Standing Committee on the
New Parliament House called for Old Parliament House’s retention as it was part of the design brief
for the new Parliament House. This report recognised Old Parliament House’s heritage values.
96 Plan, Federal Capital Commission, Parliament House E.L. Fittings 19 January 1926 E.1519
97 Tanner, H. 1986, Provisional Parliament House, Canberra. Conservation Plan, report for NCDC. Section 12.