Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620:body:0:p33
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620
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Character Range: 88511–91465

end of the war, the building was still undergoing expansion.  Despite the creation of additional office space in the enclosing of the courtyards in B Block, the building required further expansion.  The major change was extensions made to A Block in 1948.  The eastern and western sides were extended out to match the massing of the newly constructed D Block (Figure 25).
After the major renovations in the 1940s, only small changes were made to the building in the 1950s and 1960s.  A private telephone exchange was installed in 1949, and in 1951, tenders were called for the installation of automatic gear to modernise the building's lifts.[71]
In 1961, the balcony areas were further modified and in 1968, a top flight of stairs was removed from B Block.

2.7.1               Alterations and additions, 1946-60s
              1947/48 Additional office space created with extensions to the eastern and western side of A Block to similar plan form and elevations of D block
              c. 1949 Private telephone exchange installed
              c. 1951 Lifts automated
              1961 Balcony areas modified
              1968 Top flight of stairs removed from B Block
Floor plans illustrating the incremental development of West Block are at Figure 26, Figure 27, Figure 28 and Figure 29.
Figure 25 West block – site plan, 1948, showing the extensions made to A block
Source: National Archives of Australia, NAA: A2617, SECTION 14/17556

2.8                    Refurbishment, 1970s-80s
By the 1970s, the building was in need of refurbishment.  In the mid-1970s a Cabinet budget submission for $5 million was made for the construction of an office block annex to West Block, to provide additional accommodation for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.[72]  It was ultimately withdrawn and replaced by another submission, however the supporting documents describe the space pressures of West Block occupants.  At this time, the Department occupied approximately 7,250 square metres, in addition to another 1,020 square metres at three other locations in Canberra.  Another 930 square metres of West Block were also occupied by the Commonwealth Actuary and the Royal Commission on Security and Intelligence.[73]  The submission outlined the Prime Minister's proposal to make West Block the permanent location of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and a desire to undertake a large-scale refurbishment of the building.
West Block was vacant from late 1977 until 1979, after an appraisal found that the office accommodation was substandard, with poor fire protection and electrical services.[74]  During this period, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet was moved to the Edmund Barton Building.  West Block's location near both the provisional Parliament House and the proposed location of the new permanent Parliament House ensured that it continued to be used as government administration building.
A Cabinet Paper in 1978