When did Parliament House in Canberra open?
Australia's Parliament House in Canberra was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 May 1988, during the nation's Bicentenary. It replaced the old provisional building used since 1927.
The building was designed by the architectural firm Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorp after an international competition in 1979. It is built into Capital Hill, with grass-covered roofs so that people can walk over the top of their parliament.
An 81-metre stainless steel flagmast rises above the building, flying a flag about the size of a double-decker bus. The building has around 4,700 rooms.
Inside the building
The House of Representatives is decorated in green and the Senate in red, following the colours of the British Parliament. The Great Hall displays a huge tapestry based on an Arthur Boyd painting.
Visitors can take free tours, watch question time from the galleries and visit the rooftop. The forecourt features a mosaic based on a painting by Aboriginal artist Michael Nelson Jagamara.
The building cost about 1.1 billion dollars and took about seven years to build. It is the meeting place of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Did You Know?
Parliament House sits at the end of Canberra's land axis, which lines up with the Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie.