Parliament House in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
is the meeting place of the
Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...
, housing its
only chamber, the
Legislative Assembly. It is located on the corner of
George Street and
Alice Street at
Gardens Point in the
CBD, and is next to the
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The unive ...
and
City Botanic Gardens.
History
Planning
The Parliament of Queensland first met on 22 May 1860 in the former convict barracks on
Queen Street.
The building was not considered a suitable meeting place for Parliament in the long-term, but the government was preoccupied with the construction of
Government House, and plans for a new legislative facility were not made until after its completion.
In November 1863 a commission chose the site for the new parliamentary building on the corner of Alice and George Street.
The commission soon opened an Australia-wide competition for the new building's design, and offered a 200 guinea prize for the winning submission.
In April 1864, a design by Benjamin Backhouse was selected, but was later rejected after it was estimated that it would require to construct, exceeding the maximum cost of specified in the competition.
In October 1864, a design by
William Henry Ellerker was recommended by the Parliamentary Commissioners. However in November 1865, the commissioners withdrew their recommendation and resigned, following criticism by
James Cowlishaw
James Cowlishaw (19 December 1834 – 25 July 1929)
was an architect, businessman and politician in Queensland (initially a colony, then a state of Australia from 1901).
Early life
Cowlishaw was born in Sydney, where he was educated at St. ...
who claimed none of the submissions was satisfactory. In December 1864, Ellerker wrote a public complaint about the process, but ultimately plans by
Charles Tiffin, the
Queensland Colonial Architect
The Queensland Government Architect is a position within the public service of Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Coun ...
, were selected. Amid controversy and allegations of undue influence on the outcome of the competition, Tiffin donated his prize money for the design to the
Ipswich Grammar School.
Construction
On 14 July 1865 the foundation stone for the building was laid by Sir
George Bowen
Sir George Ferguson Bowen (; 2 November 1821 – 21 February 1899), was an Irish author and colonial administrator whose appointments included postings to the Ionian Islands, Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Mauritius and Hong Kong.R. B. ...
.
It was built by
Joshua Jeays
Joshua Jeays (1812–1881) was a Leicester-born carpenter who became a successful developer, an alderman and mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Brisbane City Council Archives
Personal life
Joshua Jeays was born in 1812 in Leicestershire, ...
who used sandstone from his own quarries. Stained glass windows depicting royalty were imported from
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
.
The first section was completed in 1867.
The George Street frontage was completed in 1868 in
French Renaissance Revival style, with some
Second Empire-style elements. The archways and colonnades facing George Street were built in 1878,
and construction on the Alice Street frontage commenced in 1887. The Alice Street wing was completed in 1889.
In 1886 Parliament House was connected to the Government Printing Office via an underground cable which provided it with electricity. The building was the first Parliament House in Australia to be electrified.
20th century
In March 1939, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
George Pollock committed suicide at his office in Parliament House by shooting himself with a shotgun.
Led by
George Gray, in August 1939 members of the League for Social Justice marched on Parliament House to protest unemployment, "armed with batons, coils of barbed wire and hammers". They interrupted a meeting of the ALP caucus in the old Legislative Council chambers. Gray and 36 others were charged with unlawful assembly, but were acquitted by a sympathetic jury.
In 1969 the Government began to investigate the feasibility and cost of an extension to Parliament House. Three years later the State Works Department and Parliamentary Buildings Committee began planning the building, and designed a
brutalist extension called the Parliamentary Annexe.
Tenders for the Annexe were called in August 1975, and construction began soon after.
The Annexe was completed in March 1979 at a cost of $20,000,000. The building is linked to Parliament House, forming a square like the one in Tiffin's original 1864 plan. The square has become known as Speaker's Green and is used for ceremonial purposes.
The Annexe was refurbished in 2000.
Design
The George Street face of Parliament House has a
porte-cochère, with a
balustraded terrace above. The original zinc roof was replaced in the 1980s with one constructed from
Mount Isa copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...
.
Public use
Art exhibitions and other displays are frequently staged in the spacious ground floor areas of the Annexe.
Free public guided tours of the Parliament are available each week day. Also, a gift shop, selling souvenirs and memorabilia, is located in the main foyer.
Parliament House was also used as one of the
filming locations for the 1980s Australian series of ''
Mission: Impossible''.
See also
*
Government of Queensland
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy was form ...
*
History of Queensland
References
External links
Parliament of Queensland website
{{Legislative buildings in Australia
Parliament of Queensland
Tourist attractions in Brisbane
Buildings and structures in Brisbane
Legislative buildings in Australia
Second Empire architecture in Australia
Government buildings completed in 1867
Landmarks in Brisbane
1867 establishments in Australia
Charles Tiffin buildings
Heritage of Brisbane
Government buildings in Queensland
Alice Street, Brisbane
George Street, Brisbane
Queensland Heritage Register