MoAD - Museum of Australian Democracy.

Went to Old Parliament House, now called the Museum of Australian Democracy. WOW!!! What a surprise!

Along the corridors, immediately inside the front door, is an exhibition of political cartoons titled 'Behind the Lines'.
There are well over a hundred so it took quite some time to read them all.

The next exhibition - Truth, Power and a Free Press - Can you tell the truth?
“Our timely, permanent exhibition explores stories from those on the front line for the battle for truth.
You will see objects from Australia’s media history brought together for the first time and hear stories direct from some of Australia’s leading journalists including Joanne McCarthy, Hedley Thomas, Laura Murphy-Oates, Hamish Macdonald, Adele Ferguson and more.
You will leave moved, excited and empowered to navigate filter bubbles, fake news and the importance of trusted media sources in a healthy democracy.
Find out if you can tell the truth”.

11.00am - tea and scones in the cafe.

Another exhibition, Democracy DNA looks at all Australia's Prime Ministers from 1901 to today. There is an artist's picture of each and a 'one pager' on their career.
“Visit with the People and the Prime Ministers of Australia from 1901 to today. Explore the events that shaped the nation and the stories of the people who created our democracy”.

Then - Democracy - are you in? looks at the falling trust in politicians.
“Told through powerful stories of democracy in action, this exhibition will provoke thought and motivate you to recognise the power of your voice.
Democracy is a living system and it works best when there is a healthy balance between trust and distrust - but that balance is tipping. Distrust is on the rise, and confidence in our political and social institutions is at its lowest point in decades”.

The rest of the building has been left pretty much as it was when New Parliament House opened in 1988. It's as if someone announced that the 'new place' was ready and people just left everything and went 'up the hill'.

At that time, Bob Hawke was PM, Joan Childs was Speaker and John Howard was opposition leader.

Offices have all the old equipment still in place as if people have just stepped out for a minute. There are even jackets over the backs of office chairs. What is very evident are the cramped conditions everyone worked in.
We visited the PM's office, the Cabinet Room, the Speaker's office and the Parliamentary Chamber itself.

The timbers in the House represent all Australian States with timbers sourced from all States.

There is one exception. The Speaker's Chair is a replica of the original Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons, Westminster. It was gifted to Australia in 1927 by Britain. It contains timbers from Westminster Hall and Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory and is meant to signify the ties between Britain and Australia.
“This relationship was reinforced when the Speaker’s Chair in the British House of Commons was destroyed during an air raid in 1941. The Australian government paid for a replica of the Speaker’s Chair at the Provisional Parliament House and presented it to the British House of Commons in 1951. It was carved by British craftsmen out of black bean and had ‘The Gift of Australia’ inscribed across the back.”

“On 6 October 1987, the Speaker, the Hon. Joan Child (ALP, Member for Henty, Vic., 1974‒5 and 1980‒90), advises the House of Representatives that the Joint Standing Committee on the New Parliament House Parliament had decided that the Speaker's Chair should not be transferred from the provisional Parliament House to the new building.”

Thus, the Speaker's Chair in MoAD is the original.

Unfortunately, the Senate was closed due to water damage - we'll see that next time.

As morning tea had been so nice, we decided to go back to the cafe and have lunch.

Unanimously, we decided that, as this place is still a work in progress, it will be well worth a return visit.Read more