Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L01868:reg:4:p9
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L01868
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 4 (pt 9/63)
Character Range: 363984–370887

receptions held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954 and 1963, and the Constitutional Convention held in the House of Representatives Chamber in 1998.
                      Furniture that contributes to the richness of the place include the John Smith Murdoch–designed furniture and fittings; the HMAS Australia table, the Country Party Table and the first Australian Cabinet table; items which underlie the significance of Australia's role initially as a member of the British Empire and later as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the President of the Senate's Chair presented by the Dominion of Canada and the Speaker's Chair, presented by the United Kingdom Branch of the Empire Parliamentary Association; furniture and fittings designed or purchased for the extensions or alterations to the building, in particular, the Senate and House of Representative Wings and the President of the Senate and the Prime Minister's Suites.
                      There is a rare, intact surviving record comprising both furniture and documentation. The documentation relates to initial design concepts, specifications, quotes and detailed drawings for manufacture. The importance of the Library fabric lies primarily in the features retained of everything up to and including the 1958 extension.
B Rarity             Old Parliament House is uncommon in that it housed both the legislative and executive functions of government. This is reflected in the construction of the House of Representatives (southeast) and the Senate (southwest) Wings, the front pavilions and a great number of internal changes.
                     The House of Representatives Wing provides extensive and relatively intact evidence of the accommodation provided for members and ministers at various

OFFICIAL VALUES
Criteria                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Values
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    periods and the working conditions of parliamentarians and staff over the period 1943–88.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The former Members' Private Dining Room contains the remains of the 1927 hand- painted wall features that are rare and are the only example in the building and in the Australian Capital Territory.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Research to date suggests that the furniture in Old Parliament House is part of an intact surviving record comprising both furniture and documentation. The documentation relates to initial design concepts, specifications, quotes and detailed drawings for manufacture.
C Research                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The research potential of the understanding of history, ways of life and cultures in Australia, the original documentary evidence including plans, photographs and files that are directly related to the design, construction, use, and alteration of the Chambers and King's Hall, constitute a significant collection and provides important historical research information.
D Principal characteristics of a class of places                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Old Parliament House is a primary example of the Inter-War Stripped Classical style of architecture, dominant in Canberra's government architecture of the 1920s–40s. In particular, it is exemplar of the Canberra interpretation of the style, a major stylistic expression of Federal Capital Architecture that included