Parliament House is the meeting facility of the Parliament of Australia located in the capital of Australia, Canberra. It contains around 4,700 rooms and many areas are open to the public. The main foyer contains a marble staircase which leads to the Great Hall and has a large tapestry on display.
The House of Representatives chamber is decorated green while the Senate chamber has a red colour scheme. Between the two chambers is the Members' Hall which has a water feature and is not open to the public.
The Ministerial Wing houses the office of the Prime Minister and other Ministers.
Parliament House is situated on Capital Hill just South of Lake Burley Griffin. It can be seen by its flag raised upon 4 legs towering over the building, and is a recent extension of Burley Griffin's vision for Canberra. It was designed by Romaldo Gieurgola, an Italian, and built in 1988 costing $1.1 billion. In order to preserve the shape of the hill, on which it is built, it was constructed into the top of the hill with the roof being grassed over.
The interior design is made up of various timbers from Australia and hosts numerous pieces of Australian art and craft. Covered corridors link The House of Representatives on the East with The Senate on the West. Large areas of the house are open to the public everyday, between 9.00am-5.00pm. There are tours on non-sitting days every 30 minutes from opening, although a shorter tour also runs when parliament is sitting. If you want to watch the proceedings from The House of Representatives or Senate gallery it is best to book in advance.
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