Parliament House, Hobart Between 1939 and 1940 the building was altered again to provide the present Assembly Chamber and convert the original into the Members' Lounge. The formal opening of this Chamber took place on Wednesday 14 May 1940. From December 1940 the Legislative Council was extended to create the Murray Street wing. The latest additions to the building, commenced in mid-1977, provided office space for Members, space for Hansard, the Library, Committee Rooms etc. The formal opening took place on 16 April 1980.
Some historical photographs are available on-line.
The English Monarch's Royal Coat of Arms appears several times around the building, for example, in the stained-glass fanlight or window above the Legislative Council stairs, and engraved in the glass of the public entrances. They also appear above and on the President's chair and behind the Speaker's chair. The Royal Arms were last changed to remove France and insert Ireland in 1801. The roses signify England, the shamrock, Ireland, and the thistle, Scotland. This version of the coat of arms last appeared on Tasmanian parliamentary documents in 1953.