Executive Summary

On 20 June 2006 the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon John Howard MP, announced the addition of Old Parliament House and Curtilage to Australia’s National Heritage List. The assessment of the heritage values demonstrated that Old Parliament House and Curtilage had met eight of the nine National Heritage List criteria. Old Parliament House and Curtilage had previously been included in the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004 and is a significant feature in the Commonwealth Heritage listed Parliament House Vista.

Old Parliament House was opened in 1927. It was designed by John Smith Murdoch, the first Commonwealth Government architect, as the first purpose-built home of Australia’s federal Parliament. It is one of the foundation government buildings from the early development of the national capital under the Griffin Plan. Old Parliament House is a substantial building containing some 500 rooms; it houses formal parliamentary Chambers with associated executive offices, parliamentarians’ rooms and functional support spaces. Its complex overlay of National and Commonwealth heritage values are manifested in the fabric, collections, history and intangible associations.

Old Parliament House is a Commonwealth-owned property. From July 1996 to November 2007 it was administered by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and from November 2007 to June 2008 it was administered by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. In July 2008 Old Parliament House became an Executive Agency. In July 2016 it was reclassified, under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, as a corporate Commonwealth entity, and became a body corporate. Old Parliament House itself is a Statutory Agency; the curtilage area is administered by the National Capital Authority.

Old Parliament House and Curtilage is a heritage site and the home of the Museum of Australian Democracy. The heritage values of the site and the museum’s strategic vision are expressed through an array of interpretation, exhibition, online, learning, research and commercial activities and events available to the public 364 days a year.

This Old Parliament House and Curtilage Heritage Management Plan 2021–2026 (the Heritage Management Plan) satisfies Old Parliament House’s and the National Capital Authority’s obligations under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act). This third version has been updated by Old Parliament House staff. The first version of the plan, published in 2008, was written by Old Parliament House staff with the assistance of heritage consultants and an expert advisory panel.

The assessment of heritage values and the Statement of Heritage Significance contained in this plan draw on research undertaken for previous management plans and heritage analyses. The heritage values tables are drawn from the National and Commonwealth Heritage Listings.