Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L01868:reg:6:p17
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L01868
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 6 (pt 17/86)
Character Range: 54714–57824

an insight into the workings of the Australian Parliament (Criterion A). Apart from serving as the seat of Parliament, the building bears witness to the demands of accommodating the executive arm of government within the legislature's sphere, making it rare among parliamentary buildings in Australia and in other parts of the western world (Criterion B).

  Old Parliament House represents a significant creative achievement. Although intended as a provisional structure, it was designed as a simple yet dignified building, endowed with appropriate aesthetic and formal qualities for its location and function (Criterion E). Old Parliament House exemplifies the Inter-War Stripped Classical style of architecture and is the most prominent instance of the work of the Commonwealth's first government architect, John Smith Murdoch (Criteria D, F and H).

  The design of the building, with its complementary fixtures and fittings – including Australian timber panelled walls, raked galleries, Australian timber and leather furniture, suspended light fittings, high coffered ceilings, parquet floors, skylights and clerestory windows – demonstrates the customs and functions of the Commonwealth Parliament (Criteria D, E, and F). The former Members' Private Dining Room contains the remains of rare 1927 hand-painted wall features (Criterion B). The furniture and internal fabric of Old Parliament House reflect the everyday use of the building over more than six decades and the hierarchical nature of parliamentary staffing practices (Criterion A). Research to date indicates that the furniture in Old Parliament House is part of a rare, intact surviving record of heritage fabric comprising both furniture and documentation (Criterion B). The significant collection comprises original documentary evidence, including plans, photographs and files that directly relate to the design, construction, changes and use, and provide important historical research information (Criterion C). Specific spaces of the building are directly linked with events that shaped Australia's political and social history, and have strong associations with prominent Australians, including Prime Ministers and parliamentarians who served between 1927 and 1988 (Criteria A and H).

  Many surviving parliamentarians, support staff and media representatives have strong associations with the building and its contents (Criterion G). Its choice as the venue for important events, such as the Constitutional Convention 1998, also indicates its contemporary social value (Criterion G). The ongoing relationship with the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, established in 1972, is unique in western democracy
  (Criterion B). The entrance, as a venue for many demonstrations, reflects the role of protest in the history of Old Parliament House (Criterion A).

  The use of Australian materials and labour in the building of Old Parliament House and the manufacture of its contents contributes to the promotion of a sense of national identity (Criterion A). This national identity is complemented with the inclusion in the collection of the President