Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament
of Australia located in Canberra , the capital of
Australia .
The building was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects and
opened on 9 May 1988 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. It cost more than
A$1.1 billion to build. Federal Parliament meetings were first held in Melbourne until 1927.
Between 1927 and 1988, the Parliament of Australia met in the Provisional
Parliament House, which is now known as "Old Parliament House".
Construction of Australia 's
permanent Parliament House was delayed while its location was debated.
Construction of the new building began in 1981. The principal design of the
structure is based on the shape of two boomerangs and is topped by an 81 metre
(266 foot) flagpole. It contains 4,700 rooms and many areas are open to the
public. The main foyer contains a marble staircase and leads to the Great Hall
which has a large tapestry on display. The House of Representatives chamber is
decorated green while the Senate chamber has a red colour scheme. Between the
two chambers is the Members' Hall which has a water feature and is not open to
the public. The Ministerial Wing houses the office of the Prime Minister and
other Ministers.
