Forged together by the intimacy of working in Provisional Parliament House, journalists and politicians developed a unique relationship that shaped the way Parliament and Federal politics were reported to the nation. The House of Representatives Press Gallery has been interpreted to convey the feeling of the Press Gallery as ‘an institution fruity with characters who were sardined together for intense periods in the shadow land of political power.’
The ‘Press Gallery’ describes both a series of places and a group of journalists. It’s the place in the Parliamentary chamber where journalists sit to observe and then report speeches and events, it’s the offices from which they worked, and, the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery is the group of journalists who report on Parliament and sit in the gallery.
The story of the Press Gallery
Using a combination of period room recreations and exhibition displays Old Parliament House tells the story of journalists and others who worked in the Press Gallery from 1927-1988.
Two room recreations suggest ‘a day in the life of’ journalists from two distinct periods: the 1920s-30s, and the 1980s. One room evokes the relative quiet of a 1920s-30s Parliament and Press Gallery in a Canberra isolated from the major Australian capitals, dominated by the ‘press’ or newspapers, but with the dawn of radio not far ahead. Another suggests the frantic nature of a commercial radio bureau which housed up to three journalists who wrote stories and broadcast them live from a cramped room opposite the only toilet on the floor. Exhibition displays in four rooms use quotes, written text, images and objects to examine issues relating to life as a Press Gallery journalist—the big events, leaks, sources, technology, competition, censorship, politicians, press secretaries, rise in celebrity, social life, and getting the story out to the public. Visitor experience
Much use has been made of sound to convey the hustle and bustle of the Press Gallery. Oral histories are used to give journalists a voice in telling some of the important stories. At the press boxes and in the 1920s-30s and 1980s rooms, sound scapes are used to compliment the recreation and support the interpretation.
Providing ways for the visitor to participate in the experience is a key interpretive tool. In one area a bank of TVs and radios invites visitors to “Choose your news!” This interactive explores the role the public has in determining where they get their news from—TV, radio, commercial or independent sources. The radio studio of the ABC bureau has been set up so that visitors can “Interview a pollie!” Visitors have the opportunity to take on the role of one of three ABC journalists and interview various politicians including John Howard, Bob Hawke and Janine Haines.
The final experience is to sit in the Press Gallery in the Chamber itself and view proceedings as journalists would have. Audio has been used to highlight the journalist’s experience of the space through the personal observations of some key journalists—Peter Harvey, Alan Reid and Gay Davidson.