Why did the parliamentarians move to a new parliament house?
Thanks for your question. The parliamentarians moved from Old Parliament House to a new Parliament House because there was not enough space in Old Parliament House.
When Old Parliament House opened on 9 May 1927, there were 101 members of parliament; by the time the building closed, this number had more than doubled to 224.
Despite many additions and alterations, by 1988 the provisional building was completely inadequate for the needs of the contemporary Parliament. About 3000 people were crammed into a space originally designed for several hundred.
Australian Parliament House and Provisional (Old) Parliament House
John Gollings
Australian Parliament House and Provisional (Old) Parliament House
John Gollings
Description
Provisional Parliament House – also known as Old Parliament House – is where Parliament met in Canberra between 1927 and 1988. It is the smaller, white building visible at the bottom of this image. Parliament moved into a new building, Australian Parliament House, in 1988. The new building is roughly 300 metres away from the old building. In the centre of this image, the much larger Australian Parliament House is visible, with its distinctive flag mast and the Australian flag.