January 27, 2010
The last prime minister to serve in the House
The last prime minister to serve in the House - the Hon RJL Hawke AC - in the exhibition Australian Democracy - More than 2000 Years in the Making.
Photographer: Stefan Postles
Articles filed under: Exhibitions
November 11, 2009
The Dismissal: 34th Anniversary
The 11th of November sees the 34th anniversary of the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government in 1975. On 15 November, the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House will be holding the second of our interactive role playing tours, reconstructing the final hours of the Whitlam government by retracing the steps of the key players. The events leading up to the dismissal of the Labor Government in 1975 and the subsequent landslide victory of the Liberal-Country Coalition parties in the election of 13 December were played out in the corridors, offices and chambers of Old Parliament House—the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament…
June 29, 2009
How are you involved in your democracy?
Democracy isn’t something we have, it’s something we do. This is the premise behind the new exhibition Living Democracy: The Power of the People. The exhibition is about everyday people, examining the many different ways we participate in our democracy, and how our involvement can make a difference today. The title has a dual purpose – both to look at how democracy is a living idea that is constantly evolving due to the needs of its people, and to ask each visitor how he/she actively lives democracy in their own life. From actions as simple as showing up to vote every few years, to more active forms of democratic practice such as lobbying gov…
May 22, 2009
Weekend of celebrations as Museum of Australian Democracy launched
The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House opened on the weekend of 9 May 2009 in Canberra. It’s the first and only museum in Australia dedicated to telling the story of our democracy. The new Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House will connect Australians with more than 2000 years of history and heritage within a network of exhibitions that will trace democracy from its earliest origins through the stories of real people using their voice to achieve extraordinary things. The Museum was opened by the the last prime minister to serve in the House - the Hon RJL Hawke AC. He was joined by Chairman of the Advisory…
April 24, 2009
Opening of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
On 9 May 2009, the new Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House opens as Australia’s first museum dedicated to telling the story of our democracy. The official opening will be from 11.00am – 11.30am on the front steps of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, Parkes, Canberra.
Program of events
9.30am –11.00am: Breakfast Concert (front steps)
Concert featuring John Williamson, Ruby Hunter and Archie Roach, Lisa Keane Trio Five choirs singing songs of influence and pride: Sing Australia, Worldly Goods, Canberra Gay and Lesbian Qwire, Voices of Ainslie and Woden Valley Youth Choir Free…
September 30, 2008
Billy Hughes at War highly commended at McFarlane Prize
In recent exciting news, our exhibition website, Billy Hughes at War , has finished runner up in the 2008 McFarlane Prize for excellence in Australian web design. The website, produced by the design team at Icelab , was ‘highly commended by the judges’. The award was made at the recent Web Directions South conference in Sydney on 25 November, 2008.
The website launched in February 2008 to complement the Billy Hughes at War traveling exhibition, which commenced at the Shrine of Remembrance , Melbourne, in February 2008. The exhibition is currently showing at Old Parliament House.
The Billy Hughes at War website examines the…
September 05, 2008
Old Parliament House on Flickr
On our Flickr photostream you can see a growing collection of images relating to the building and events taking place within and around it. We are also using Flickr to support and extend our exhibitions program and open up our content to comment, tagging and discussion. The three most recent examples are the exhibitions Billy Hughes at War, Beyond Reasonable Drought and In the Picture.
The Billy Hughes at War exhibition website contains activities and resources about the conscription debate and Australia’s involvement in the peace negotiations after the First World War. Using our Flash-based poster builder on the site, visitors to the site can…