Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

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An office at Old Parliament House with red carpet, a large wooden desk, red leather chairs, wood panelled-walls and a book case.

This black and white photograph shows the layout of the Clerk of the Senate’s office in 1985 when it was occupied by Alan Cumming Thom. The timber-panelled room contains a large desk (originally designed by the building’s architect, John Smith Murdoch), glass-fronted built-in bookshelves and a sideboard with an indoor plant. There are a range of visitor chairs and an easy chair in the foreground.

Old Parliament House

Clerk of the Senate's Office

See the Clerk of the Senate's office as it was on the day of the 1975 dismissal.

A modern-day view of the Country Party Room. A large, varnished wooden table with a rounded end takes up the majority of the room, with chairs around it. There is a wooden bookcase on the wall to the back, then a unit of drawers against the wall at the end.

A large oval meeting table and chairs dominate the centre of the room. Easy chairs with side tables and lamps are arrayed along the sides and two sofas are arranged in a seating area towards the back of the room. A sideboard with books, a television and sound system stretches along the back wall. There is a framed map on one wall and a notice board on the opposite. Portraits of leaders and formal and informal photographs of the party crowd the walls

Old Parliament House

Country Party Room

The party room was a place to celebrate achievements, build camaraderie and even take a nap.

A pathway in a garden with a series of white timber archways covered in different coloured roses.

Old Parliament House

Gardens

Explore the gardens on either side of Old Parliament House.

This colour photograph shows the Government Party Room re-created to evoke the atmosphere of 1964. There are two large meeting tables surrounded by chairs, three small desks, and two telephone booths. A large portrait of Prime Minister Robert Menzies is on one wall. The surfaces of the meeting tables and desks are covered with stationery, papers, telephones and ashtrays.

This black and white photograph shows two suited men standing side by side in the Government Party Room in 1962. On the left is Sydney businessman and philanthropist SH Ervin with a jaunty bow tie, on the right a more conservatively dressed Prime Minister Bob Menzies. They are surrounded by Australian paintings which are leaning against chairs, tables and walls. The two men are viewing the paintings that Ervin was donating to the National Collection. In the background are meeting tables and telephone booths

Old Parliament House

Government Party Room

The room where party members worked quietly and debated loudly.

A green carpeted room with rows of wooden benches in a U shape facing a central table and the large, ornate Speaker's Chair.

A colour photograph of the House of Representatives Chamber filled with seated politicians

Old Parliament House

House of Representatives Chamber

Some of the most dramatic scenes in Australia’s political history took place in this chamber.

A bronze statue of a man is the focal point of a hall with a timbered floor and white columns.

This black and white photograph of King’s Hall looks along the length of the room to the slightly larger than life bronze statue of King George the Fifth on a marble pedestal. King’s Hall is a large white room with a vaulted ceiling, celerestory windows, colonnades and a polished parquet floor. The walls and columns feature artworks and portraits. You can see people wandering through the space including a family with young children and an older lady. In the foreground are two signs.

Old Parliament House

King's Hall

A meeting place that's always been the centre of the action.

A colour photograph of the Prime Minister's Desk. Behind it is a comfortable office chair and an Australian flag on a pole. In front and to the side of the desk are armchairs.

This colour photograph captures a conversation between Prime Minister Bob Hawke seated on the left and Treasurer Paul Keating seated on the right. The photo shows the corner of the desk with Hawke sitting behind the desk while Keating sits to the side with both men facing each other. Both are dressed in black suits with white shirts and red ties contrasting the pale blue curtains in the background.

Old Parliament House

Prime Minister's Suite

Explore the surprisingly humble office where Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke once led the country.

A view into the Senate Chamber looking straight into the room with benches in a U-shape on either side of the centre table. The carpet is a rich red and the seats are red leather. Art deco lights hang from the ceiling and wood timber panels surround the room.

This black and white photograph shows the Duke of York reading a message from his father the King in the Senate Chamber. The room is crowded with at least 200 people, mostly men with some women all wearing their best. Men are dressed in suits, military uniform or gowns and wigs while the women wear formal dresses with hats and gloves. The crowd is in a horseshoe shape around the central table while the Duke stands at the head of the table.

Old Parliament House

Senate Chamber

Stand in the room where history-making moments happened.

A large timber desk covered in folders and notes, with a vase with roses on it.

This professional colour photograph shows Principal Private Secretary John Porter and Speaker Joan Child sitting across from each other at the Speaker’s desk. John is wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie and Joan is in a white blouse and vibrant blue jacket. They are discussing the daily program for the House of Representatives Chamber. There is a vase of roses, stationery and paperwork on the desk. In the background the curtains have been drawn to reveal a large east-facing window.

Old Parliament House

Speaker’s Suite

Celebrates the life and work of Joan Child, the first woman to become Speaker of the House.

A view out to the Senate chamber. In the foreground are red leather bound books on a long table. Red carpet and red leather chairs in a horseshoe shape with timber panels and art deco lights.

Collection and heritage

We are a living museum of Australian political and social history.

A man and a woman look at a sign inside the museum. The girl has pink hair and a rainbow shirt and wears a face mask. The man wears a blue shirt and a face mask.

Map

Use this page to find the locations of exhibitions, heritage spaces, the cafe and visitor facilities.

Black and white image of the front of Old Parliament House with a crowd of people of gathered at the foot of the stairs. The building is white with columns and an Australian flag flies at the top.

Indigenous rights and freedoms – an experience of democracy

Tells the stories of Old Parliament House from a First Nations perspective.