As any entrepreneur knows, one of the best ways to make a fortune is to own and manufacture technology that enables other businesses to increase their productivity and make money. William Stickney Lamson from USA was an entrepreneur par excellence. In 1879 he invented the ‘cash railway’ system for the rapid transferring of cash in small cages from the point of sale to the accountant’s office upstairs (after the failure of trials of tying the money in a handkerchief and throwing it up!). His Lamson Cash Carrier Company grew and bought out other similar companies.
The pneumatic tubes system however, was invented much earlier in the 1800s by a…
Update: The Minister for the Environment approved the referral in December 2008 and work on the refurbishment is now underway. Old Parliament House sought comment on the Referral for the proposed South-East (House of Representatives) Wing Refurbishment for the purpose of accommodating the Australian Prime Ministers Centre.
The proposed refurbishment has been determined a ‘controlled action’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) on the basis that the action is likely to have significant impact on the following matters protected by the EPBC Act:
Works are progressing well on the South East Wing refurbishment. One major component—the replacement of the roof—is almost complete. This involved the removal of all redundant air conditioning equipment and then taking up all the old roof sheeting, guttering and parapet capping which was all at the end of its serviceable life. This has now been replaced with new roofing, guttering and parapet capping. At the same time, new high performance insulation has been installed under the roof sheeting. The image above shows the state of the old roof and the current progress of the roofing. We expect the roofing works to be complete in the next 2–3 weeks…
Old Parliament House is proposing to refurbish the South-East (House of Representatives) Wing to accommodate the Australian Prime Ministers Centre, a facility for Fellows and accommodation for staff.
The proposed refurbishment has been determined as being a ‘controlled action’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), on the basis that the action is likely to have significant impact on the following matters protected by the EPBC Act:
National Heritage places (section 15B and 15C)
Commonwealth land (section 26 and 27A)
Commonwealth action (section 28)
The South-East Wing of Old Parliament House—the side of the building closest to the National Archives building—is being refurbished as an important component of the major redevelopment and permanent Australian Prime Ministers Centre (APMC) and Fellows facility.
The refurbishment will also improve the suitability of this part of the building for education, public assembly and staff accommodation. It’s due for completion in March 2009. These works and modifications for adaptive re-use are all aimed at enhancing the Old Parliament House experience.
We’re currently in the middle of a period of heritage assessments for some parts of the project,…
