Greg McIntosh
Social Policy Group
27 March 2001
Contents
Introduction
Background
The Opening and First Day of Sitting
The 1927 Parliamentary Program
The Politicians
The Ministry
The Building and Support Facilities
Sixty one years on-Moving House
Endnotes
Appendix 1: Various Information and Data on
Parliament House 1927 25
Appendix 2: Photographs of Parliament House
1925-27
Introduction
As It Was In The Beginning is a
re-release of a paper I wrote in 1988 at the time when the national
Parliament moved from the old provisional house to the new
Parliament House on Capital Hill. At that time there was a degree
of interest in the history of the old Parliament House and the
paper was designed to give a 'feel' for what Parliament, and to a
lesser extent Canberra, was like in 1927 when the national
Parliament began sitting there. As well as giving an overview of
the reasons for Canberra being chosen as the site for the national
capital, the paper details the background of the main political
players of the time, the major issues confronting the Parliament
and information on the physical design and construction of the
building itself. A number of photographs are contained as an
appendix to the paper.
Given that 2001 is the year when we celebrate
the Centenary of Federation, it was decided that a re-release of
the paper may be of interest to Senators and Members and other
participants and observers of the federal parliamentary process.
Some minor changes have been made to the original paper, including
additional photographs of the old Parliament House and the Lodge.
As well, some material contrasting the Parliament then and the
Parliament now has been added to the 2001 version. It is
interesting to note that some of the main issues discussed in the
Parliament in 1927 remain just as relevant today as they did then.
This is particularly the case with immigration, Aboriginal affairs
and the free trade/protection debate. The evident tension between
the Parliament and the Executive that was there in 1927 is still
there today and even the negative attitudes towards Canberra (held
by some of those living outside the ACT) are still alive and well
today.
Also worthy of note is the fact that the
press/media, right from the beginning, were given office space in
the building and this has ensured that they have had a very direct
and close relationship with the parliamentarians, a relationship
that is arguably closer and more influential than is the case in
many other parliamentary democracies.
In the original version I speculated that 'no
decision has yet been made on the future use of the old building
but it is almost certain to be maintained in its present condition
as an historical memento of Australia's parliamentary past'. After
some debate about this subject, this has in fact happened and
included in the building today is the National Portrait Gallery
where visitors can view an extensive range of portraits and images
of sporting greats, scientists, explorers and musicians. Visitors
are also able to undertake guided tours of the building and view
various special exhibitions related to the political history of the
old Parliament House.
Background
May those who enter this open door govern with
justice, reason and equal favour to all. May they do so in humility
and without self interest. May they think and act nationally.
(Prime Minister Bruce at the opening of Parliament House on 9 May
1927).
The idea for a national capital (and National
Parliament House) found its expression in the Federation debates of
the 1890s. If the States were to federate and become one nation it
would be necessary to choose a site for the seat of national
government. The two largest states (New South Wales and Victoria)
wanted the national capital to be situated in their respective
capital cites and, because agreement could not be reached, a
compromise was achieved. The new national capital was to be
situated somewhere between Melbourne and Sydney. Accordingly, it
was written into the Constitution that 'The seat of Government of
the Commonwealth ... shall be within territory which shall have
been granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth, and shall be
vested in and belong to the Commonwealth, and shall be in the state
of New South Wales, and be distant not less than one hundred miles
from Sydney' (Section 125).
In the interim period whilst a suitable site was
being selected and the attendant planning and construction was
completed, the new national Parliament, which opened in 1901, was
to sit in Melbourne.
The first ten years of Federation saw intense
competition between various towns and districts in southern New
South Wales as they vied for the honour of being selected as the
site for the new capital. The established towns of Bombala, Tumut,
Yass, Dalgety and Albury were all considered as potential sites. A
Royal Commission of Inquiry was set up by the Federal Government in
1903 to investigate possible sites but the Inquiry was unable to
arrive at a unanimous recommendation. The Parliament itself could
not agree on a site, with the House of Representatives voting for
Tumut and the Senate opting for Bombala. By 1904, after a
delegation of federal politicians visited the area, the Parliament
selected Dalgety as the site for the new capital. However, the New
South Wales Government had not been consulted and vetoed the
decision. Finally, in September 1908, a majority of federal
politicians agreed to the Yass-Canberra area, and with New South
Wales' concurrence, that became the official site for the new
national capital.
One of the more interesting reasons the Canberra
site was chosen was given by former Deputy Prime Minister in the
Bruce government, Sir Earle Page. Writing in the early 1960s, Page
recalled how some of the older members of parliament (Page was
elected to the House of Representatives in 1919), engaged in
selecting a suitable site, had told him that Canberra was chosen
after 'a cavalcade of members travelling between Yass and Canberra
... stopped at a wayside village where their hearts were torn by
the sight of an ancient man weeping bitterly ... they alighted and
asked the old man why he wept. He replied that his father had just
given him a sound hiding. 'But', they replied, 'surely your father
cannot still be alive; you yourself must have passed the age of
eighty. Why have you been beaten?' To which he answered, 'For
throwing stones at my grandfather'. So the members of parliament
made up their minds. If men could live to such a vigorous old age
in this environment then surely politicians could survive
longer!(1)
The necessary legislation was passed and on 1
January 1911 the Federal Capital Territory came into being. At that
time the Territory had a population of only 1714 as well as
224 764 sheep and 1762 horses. It covered an area of only 2356
square kilometres.(2) On 20 February 1913 the then
Minister for Home Affairs, King O'Malley, led an inauguration
ceremony on Capital Hill to mark the commencement of construction
of the new national capital. Three weeks later in a ceremony at the
same site, Lady Denman, wife of the then Governor-General,
officially named the national capital 'Canberra'. In the following
year the Federal Government announced an international competition
for the design of a Parliament house. The outbreak of the First
World War led to the postponement and ultimately the abandonment of
the competition-at significant cost to the Government. It was
forced to pay 78 architects a total of just over 3000 compensation
for their work.(3)
In 1921 a Federal Capital Advisory Committee
suggested that, for cost reasons, a temporary Parliament House
could be constructed. This suggestion was taken up by the
Government and on 23 July 1923 the Cabinet approved the
construction of a provisional Parliament House. At the time it was
estimated to cost 220 000 and take two and a half years to
complete. The aim was that the building should last 50 years and
provision was to be made for 112 Members and 80 Senators even
though in 1927 there would only be 76 MHRs and 36 Senators. In fact
the building was to end up costing 664 600 plus an additional
250 000 for furniture and fittings.(4) At present
day prices the building cost $30.7 million(5) compared
to the latest price for the new and permanent Parliament House of
$1056 million. The life of the building as a legislative chamber
was to stretch to 61 years and by 1988 there were 148 Members and
76 Senators. (Also see section on Building and Support
Facilities.)
By 1927, when the building was completed,
Canberra was still very much a small town lacking many of the
amenities that other capital cities enjoyed. 'The capital itself
was hardly evident in the landscape, consisting of rows of
bungalows in scattered suburbs and three small shopping centres at
Civic, Manuka, and Kingston and five temporary hotels providing for
the needs of about 5000 people. The Parliament House and two ugly
secretariat buildings, East Block and West Block, which were about
400 metres to its rear stood out starkly in the plain which was
criss-crossed with dusty roads seemingly leading nowhere through
paddocks fully planted with trees'.(6)
The official population of Canberra at the time
was 5915.(7) By June 1928, when an official census was
taken, the total population of the Federal Capital Territory was
8011 being made up of 4515 males and 3495 females. There were 6116
people who lived in the city area of Canberra. The largest suburb
was Duntroon with a population of 839, followed by Fyshwick with
636, Acton 619, Ainslie 598, Yarralumla 514 and Braddon 510. The
smallest suburb in the city area was Deakin with only 20 people, of
whom 18 were female. By way of contrast Parkes had a population of
59 of whom 57 were male. Outside the city area 407 people resided
at Jervis Bay, 526 at Molongo, 129 at Hall, 58 at Tharwa and 8 at
Kambah.(8)
The hotels that existed were 'dry' as
prohibition was still in force and people wishing to imbibe had to
travel to Queanbeyan. In 1927 it cost 3 per week for a single room
at the Kurrajong Hotel and 5 per week for a single room at the
Hotel Canberra.
There were 15 public and one private school-St
Gabriel's Church of England Girl's Grammar. There was a total of 41
teachers, 33 of whom were employed by the Government. A total of
1265 students were enrolled at the public schools and 64 at
St Gabriel's.(9) Canberra was a very expensive
place to live, especially when compared to the other State capital
cities.
The weighted, cost of living price index figures
in regard to food, groceries and housing for the final quarter of
1927 show that Canberrans had by far the highest prices to pay for
these necessities. The figures were (with the 1911 base year figure
being 1000): Sydney, 1872; Melbourne, 1800; Adelaide, 1747; Perth,
1608; Hobart, 1686; and Canberra, 2368.(10)
At the top end of the housing rental market were
timber and brick cottages which the more senior public servants
tended to occupy. As at September 1928 the rental range for timber
cottages was 2 to 4/16/- a week, whilst for brick cottages the
weekly rent ranged from 2/18/- to 4/13/-. There were also 315
workers tenements that were let for between six shillings and
thirteen shillings a week. Wages at the time varied between
approximately 19/5/- a week for federal politicians to 5/5/- for
waiters at Parliament House.(11) According to Frank
Green, who moved to Canberra in 1927, and became Clerk of the House
from 1937 to 1955, the conditions in the capital were considered so
primitive that 'Members of Parliament regarded themselves as
enduring the hardship of pioneers, and found that three days a week
was as much as they could stand, so railway services were improved
to allow them to arrive at the latest hour and leave at the
earliest moment consistent with their parliamentary duties ... It
was Percy Deane (then Secretary of the Prime Minister's Department)
who described the best view of Canberra as 'from the back of the
departing train'.(12)
Parliament last met in Melbourne on 24 March
1927. After Speaker Groom announced in the House of Representatives
that the House will next meet in Canberra on 9 May the Members
present all joined hands, and in best farewell traditions, sang
Auld Lang Syne.
The Opening and
First Day of Sitting
I earnestly hope that we in this Parliament, in
common with all other parliaments of the British Commonwealth of
Nations, will ever strive to present the peace of the world and
direct our efforts to the promotion of the progress and best
interests of our people. (Senator Needham, ALP, Western Australia,
9 May 1927).
The formal opening of Parliament House (which
was broadcast over radio stations in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and
SA and reached over one million people) took place on 9 May
1927 when the Duke of York (later King George VI) used a gold key
to unlock the doors of the building. The Duke then handed the key
to the Prime Minister, Mr Bruce. The fact that the key was handed
to the leader of the Executive and not the true custodians of the
Parliament-the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate-was
seen to be elevating the Executive to a level above the Parliament.
Former Speaker Sir William Johnson 'wrote to his successor, Speaker
Groom, protesting that the Duke should hand the key directly to the
Speaker or the President as custodians of the respective houses'.
'As it is', he wrote, 'both offices have been by the proposed
procedure subordinated to that of the head of the
Government'.(13)
Following the unlocking of the doors, the Duke
unveiled a statue of King George V in Kings Hall and then proceeded
to the Senate Chamber where, in the presence of MHRs, Senators and
invited guests, he formally proclaimed the inauguration of
parliamentary sittings in Canberra.
The formalities of the opening highlighted the
strength of Australia's allegiance and ties to the Crown and the
'Mother Country' in 1927. Bruce, addressing the Duke of York in the
Senate Chamber, continually stressed Australia's attachment and
devotion to Britain. 'His Majesty the King is the visible symbol of
our unity. He is the centre of all our loyalties ... We ask you to
convey to His Majesty or devoted homage, and an assurance of our
loyalty and affection to his Throne and Person ... We remember with
gratitude the fostering care of the Mother Country and the
protection we have enjoyed under the British flag. Today it is our
solemn duty to reaffirm our faith in our country, and our devotion
to the Crown and Empire'.(14)
After the opening ceremony both Houses sat on
that day for the first time at 5pm.
In the Senate further formalities related to the
opening were completed, notification was given of certain bills
that had been assented to and several papers were presented.
Senator Pearce (Nat, WA: Vice President of the Executive Council)
then moved that leave of absence be granted to all Senators until
the day the Senate next sat. This was necessary because the Senate
was not due to meet again until 28 September. Section 20 of the
Constitution states that 'The place of a Senator shall become
vacant if for two consecutive months of any session of the
Parliament, he without the permission of the Senate, fails to
attend the Senate'. Thus, the granting of leave to all Senators
would ensure that the constitutional properties were observed.
Senator Pearce went to great lengths to explain
(because 'certain statements, particularly in sections of the
Press') why the Parliament would be having such a long recess-from
May to September. He outlined the size and complex nature of the
administrative machinery related to Parliament and why such a
prolonged recess was necessary to facilitate the shift from
Melbourne to Canberra.
The final business of the day was the
Adjournment Debate. The first disagreement and dispute in the new
Senate occurred when Senator Pearce announced that the tabling of a
report by the Joint Committee on Public Accounts on the activities
of the Australian Commonwealth Shipping Line would be held over
until September. He said that this was agreed to by the Leader of
the Opposition, Mr Charlton (ALP), in the interests of avoiding
party political conflict on such an auspicious occasion as the
opening of Parliament House. However, Senator Givens (Nat, Qld)
objected strongly 'What right has the Government or any individual
member to prevent the Committee from presenting its report today if
it desires to do so? Is the Committee prepared to sacrifice its
privileges? ... It is deplorable that a violent attack should be
made today on the rights of the community and the Senate in such an
important respect as this'.(15)
Senator Kingsmill (Nat, WA) strongly supported
Senator Givens when he said 'the report is now ready, and I deeply
regret that it cannot be tabled today. I disclaim on behalf of the
committee, and its chairman, any responsibility for the delay. It
cannot be attributed to the committee'.(16)
Despite Senator Givens and Senator Kingsmill's
protestations, the report was not debated that day and another
incident had occurred that highlighted the tension between the
Executive and the Parliament.
In the house similar procedures and formalities
occurred, including notification of assent to certain bills. The
Speaker, Sir Littleton Groom, then announced the resignation of the
Hon. Sir Granville Ryrie (Warringah) and informed the House of the
date for the by-election, 21 May. The Prime Minister, Mr Bruce,
then moved a motion on similar terms to the one in the Senate that
leave be granted to all Members until the House next sat. This
motion, indicating the long adjournment until September, brought
forth the first hostile comments in the new House from several
Members, notably Billy Hughes (Nat, North Sydney). Hughes, an
ex-Prime Minister and Member of the House since Federation in 1901,
was particularly critical of the long recesses between
parliamentary sittings which characterised, according to him,
Bruce's stewardship. 'About sixteen months of the term of this
Parliament has expired; during that period, it has been in session
for about four months. This country would be better governed, and
our legislation would be more calculated to promote the prosperity
of the country, if we sat more regularly, and if, on being called
together at infrequent intervals, we were not obliged to work at
high pressure, the Government forcing through legislation almost at
the point of a bayonet'.(17)
It is interesting that, even with the best
efforts and intentions on such an historic occasion when political
and parliamentary differences would be expected to be sublimated to
the greater cause (the opening), the Parliament versus Executive
tension surfaced so strongly.
The
1927 Parliamentary Program
I should like the Prime Minister to give
honourable members some idea of the date upon which the House will
reassemble. It has seemed like one long adjournment since this
Government has been in office. (John West, ALP, Member for East
Sydney, 9 May 1927).
The parliamentary program was shortened somewhat
because of the time needed to shift the Parliament from Melbourne
to Canberra. Nevertheless, during the year the House sat for a
total of 59 days and the Senate for 44 days. A total of 38 acts
were passed of which 35 were initiated by the House and three by
the Senate. There was one petition presented to the House and none
to the Senate. In the House there were 25 adjournment debates, six
matters of public importance and 48 divisions. The committee system
(see Appendix 1) was very much underdeveloped when compared with
today and most of the deliberations of the committees dealt with
domestic housekeeping matters (for example, the Library and
printing, as well as the new Parliament House which was dealt with
by the Public Works Committee).
The Parliament only sat briefly on 9 May and
then, following the long winter recess, it sat from 28 September
until 15 December. An interesting question put on the Notice Paper
over the recess by Walter Parsons (Nat, Angas SA) related to the
place of origin of oranges provided by Canberra hotels at the time
of the opening of the new Parliament House. In particular, Parsons
wanted to know why Californian oranges were provided and not
oranges from South Australia. Charles Marr, the Minister for Home
and Territories, replied that the Federal Capital Commission had
obtained the Californian oranges for the hotels concerned because
the Australian 'market was absolutely bare of local oranges.
Difficulty was being experienced in procuring suitable fruit, and
there was not time to alter the receipt of the (Californian)
oranges in question to make other arrangements' he added that, 'It
is a general rule of the Commission to give preference to
Australian products'.(18)
Preliminary proceeding got off to a sad start in
the new building. The House of Representatives lost two Clerks in
quick succession-on 27 July Walter Gale died in his Parliament
House office, and his successor, John McGregor, died on the night
of 28 September. Frank Green (who was then Clerk Assistant)
described the latter event thus: 'I was sitting in an alcove (in
the Chamber) from where I could see the new Clerk, and had arranged
for him to give a certain signal if he wanted me. As I was watching
McGregor I saw him slump suddenly in his chair. I hurried to the
back entrance of the Chamber, and as I got there he was being
carried out by two doctor Members, Earle Page and Sir Neville
Prowse. I took the vacant seat and business proceeded. McGregor
died that night'.(19)
Within minutes of Green taking over from
McGregor, the Treasurer, Earle Page was back in the House to bring
down his fifth consecutive Budget. He started his delivery at
4.23 p.m. and spoke for one hour and twenty minutes. He
explained that the Government planned to raise about 62 million in
revenue for the 1927-28 financial year and spend an amount just
less than that. As it turned out his plans for a small surplus were
frustrated when the projected returns from customs and excise
revenue were not met. Page outlined reductions in both income and
land tax rates and gave details of an ambitious scheme to place
Federal-State financial relations on a more stable and secure
footing. At this time the Commonwealth's main revenue raiser was
customs and excise levies (estimated to raise approximately 44
million) with direct taxes, notably income tax, only contributing
approximately 14 million.
On the expenditure side, the Budget allowed just
over 14 million for payments to the States; over 9 million for
invalid and old age pensions and 100 000 for the purchase of
10 grams of radium for use by hospitals in the fight against
cancer. There was to be an increase of almost 17 000 in the
estimates of the Parliament to help cover the cost of the shift to
Canberra.
During debate on Supply Bill No. 2 (1927-28) the
thorny issue of immigration was raised by the Leader of the
Opposition, Matthew Charlton. He maintained that 'two years ago the
Prime Minister said that we were maintaining a certain balance and
that all but about 10 per cent (of total immigrants) were
British ... The figures for six months ended the 30th of
June show clearly that there has been one non British immigrant to
every three British immigrants'. Charlton was not only concerned
about the number of non-British immigrants but also the number of
immigrants in total ...'We cannot afford to allow thousands of our
own workmen to remain unemployed while strangers come here and
secure work. We must, therefore, do something to restrain the
influx of these migrants'.(20)
Before the Budget debate was completed Mr
Charlton moved a motion of no confidence in the Government for its
decision to sell the Commonwealth Shipping Line. Hughes, who was
Prime Minister when the Shipping Line was established, was
particularly critical of the decision. 'The Line is my progeny and
whether it be unique or a monstrosity I, like most parents, am
still attached to the poor thing'.(21)
The Government maintained that the Line was too
expensive and caused higher freight rates whilst the Opposition
claimed that it saved the key primary industries that exported
agricultural products millions of pounds. The Opposition motion was
defeated 40 to 23 and the shipping Line was sold to Lord Kylsant,
on behalf of the White Star Line, for 1 900 000. However,
the Government did not collect all the proceeds from the sale.
'Lord Kylsant took the ships, paid a deposit and two instalments,
and Australia was left as an unsecured creditor of Lord Kylsant to
the extent of about seven hundred thousand pounds'. He was later
'sentenced to one year's imprisonment for
fraud'.(22)
Debates on matters of public importance covered
a variety of issues including aboriginal affairs, the purchase of
radium and the import duty charged on empty Australian wine casks.
On 20 October, related to the first issue, the Member for Angas,
Walter Parsons (Nat, SA), presented a petition (the only one
presented to the Parliament in 1927) from 7113 residents of
Australia stating that the Aboriginal races are dying out, and
praying that a model Aboriginal State be established. Eight days
later a matter of public importance on the 'Exploitation of
aboriginal labour in North Australia' was debated. The motion was
moved by Harold Nelson (ALP, NT) who went on to outline why he
believed exploitation of Aboriginal labour was taking place. He
maintained that Aboriginal workers were being paid three shillings
a week when the award wage was 5 a week. The Member for Bass, David
Jackson (Nat, Tas.), stated that, 'We have been in possession of
those lands for nearly 150 years, yet what have we in spite of our
superior civilization done towards educating them (the Aborigines)
along these lines? I assert that more has been done to 'syphilize'
than to civilize them'. He went on to say that 'the aborigines of
the Northern Territory are of fine stature but with the mind of an
infant'.(23)
When the question was put, the House divided
along party lines with 17 ayes and 32 noes.
In his Budget, the Treasurer, Sir Earle Page,
outlined plans for the Government to purchase 100 000 of
radium to be used in the fight against cancer. The fact that the
radium was to be purchased from overseas led the Member for Grey,
Andrew Lacey (ALP) to move, on 15 November, that the House
adjourn to discuss the matter. Lacey argued that there was an
Australian company at Mt Painter (SA) producing radium and that the
Government should purchase the radium from that company and not
from Belgium as planned. The Government case was put by Sir Neville
Howse, the Minister for Repatriation, who argued that the
Australian company was not capable of delivering the radium in the
time span required and that the Government therefore had no choice
but to purchase the radium from overseas.
On 18 November the Senate debated a matter of
public importance as moved by Senator Sir Henry Barwell (Nat, SA),
namely, 'The action of the Government in charging a tariff duty on
empty wine casks of Australian manufacture which having been
exported with Australian wine are afterwards re-imported to
Australia for refilling'.(24) Sir Henry told the Senate
that until 'recently the casks were re-admitted to Australia free
of duty, but a month or two ago a duty of 1/9/9 per cask was
imposed, although the second hand value of the casks in London is
only seven shillings and sixpence each'.(25) He blamed
the Coopers Union (whose members made wine casks) for pressuring
the Government into imposing the duty. Presumably the Union foresaw
more work for its members if less wine casks were re-imported. The
Government side was put by Senator Crawford (Honorary Minister) who
led off by saying that 'after the debate that has taken place this
morning honourable Senators will agree that the old saying, "empty
vessels make the most sound", is one worthy of all
acceptation'.(26) Crawford argued that the wine industry
could afford to pay such a duty and generous industry support was
provided by the Government to the tune of 500 000. At the
conclusion of the debate Senator Sir Henry Barwell, satisfied that
he had brought the matter before the Senate, withdrew the
motion.
On 24 November Senator Grant (ALP, NSW) moved a
motion that, 'immediate steps be taken by the Government to
establish, equip and operate a transmitting station at Canberra to
secure the broadcasting of Senators' speeches'.(27)
Grant argued that, 'wireless ought to be fully utilised whenever
possible' and because the press do not adequately cover the
proceedings of Parliament, a broadcasting station should be set up
in Canberra 'so that the speeches of honourable Senators may be
'heard with pleasure by thousands of people'. He estimated that the
cost of a 5 kilowatt broadcasting station would be 12 000 plus
the cost of land and buildings.(28) Opposing the motion
Senator Duncan (Nat, NSW) stated, 'have we no pity for the poor
unfortunate electors? ...The people are not interested in the
doings of this parliament to the extent of desiring they hear
individual addresses'. However, he did advance one reason as to why
the broadcasting of Parliament might be a good idea. He said that
for some time the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
'has been seeking a means of combating the prickly pear, which in
portions of Australia has become a pest. If the poison gas from
this chamber could be conveyed to the areas affected by prickly
pear it might confer a benefit on Australia'.(29)
Senator Grant's motion was defeated and it was not until 1946 that
parliamentary broadcasting via the ABC began.
An issue that had its gestation in late 1927 and
which was to continue to be an issue in 1928 and ultimately bring
the Government down in 1929 was industrial relations and wage
fixing. In December 1927 a complex Bill was introduced into the
Parliament which aimed to give the Government more direct control
over wage levels. Included in the Bill was a requirement 'that
before making any award or certifying any agreement the
(Arbitration) court should "take into consideration the probable
economic effect of the agreement or award in relation to the
community in general and the probable economic effect thereof upon
the industry or industries concerned". In reply to Labor's outcry,
the Government denied its intention was to reduce wages, and, in
token of that, exempted the basic wage from this
directive'.(30) The Bill also contained provisions that
would enable the Court to deregister unions or other organisations
that failed to take adequate steps to stop strikes or lockouts. The
court could also fine organisations for inciting violence or
threats of abuse that were aimed at stopping workers from working
in accordance with an award. Predictably the unions were outraged
at the provisions of the Bill.
Within months of the new Arbitration Act being
passed in 1928 'the industrial scene erupted into
lawlessness-defiance of the Arbitration Court's authority and
defiance of the law by men left unemployed when others had taken
their jobs'. However, the unions were not collectively strong
enough and with 10 per cent unemployed 'the unions were
defeated'.(31) Ironically, it was when the Government
changed tack and attempted to abandon the field of industrial
arbitration to the states in August 1929 that several backbenchers
sided with the Opposition and brought the Government down. (Also
see section on The Ministry p. 14).
The
Politicians
Politicians receive many hard knocks. No doubt
they enjoy compensating privileges, but I believe that very few
people outside recognize how strenuous is parliamentary work, how
great a toll it takes, and how great a draft it is upon the
vitality of men who conscientiously do their duty. (Frank Brennan,
ALP, Member for Batman, 24 March 1927).
There were 112 politicians in the Federal
Parliament when it moved to Canberra in 1927. (See Appendix 1 for a
full list of Senators and Members in 1927.) There were
36 Senators and 76 Members. The Nationalist/Country Party
Coalition was in Government and clearly had the numbers (see
Appendices 13 and 14 showing party affiliation) in both Houses. The
Parliament consisted only of men and it was another 16 years before
the first woman was elected. (Dame Enid Lyons was elected to the
seat of Darwin [Tasmania] in 1943). Their salary was 1000 per annum
and there was no general change in that salary until 1947, when it
was increased by 500. (In fact during the Great Depression
politicians salaries were reduced. In 1932 they received 750 per
annum and it was not until 1938 that they were restored to their
1927 level.)
The politicians who took their seats in 1927
were a diverse lot (except that they were all male). There were 34
New South Welshmen (28 MHRs and 6 Senators); 26 Victorians
(20 and 6); 16 Queenslanders (10 and 6); 11 Western
Australians (5 and 6); 12 South Australians (7 and 6); 11
Tasmanians (5 and 6) and 1 from the Northern Territory. There were
29 farmers, graziers and pastoralists; 15 lawyers; 6 miners; 6
journalists and 4 school teachers. The average age of the MHRs was
52 compared with 56 in the Senate. The youngest Member was Roland
Green, 32 (Richmond, NSW), who had lost a leg in the Great War. The
oldest Member was John West (East Sydney NSW), 76, a plumber by
occupation. Eighty three of the 112 Members were born in Australia
and the remainder were born in either New Zealand or the United
Kingdom. Thirty per cent of Members had a secondary education and
22 per cent had a tertiary qualification.(32)
(By the beginning of the 21st century
this profile of Senators and Members has changed quite dramatically
from that of 1927. There are now 55 female Members sitting in the
Federal Parliament, 22 in the Senate and 33 in the House of
Representatives. The average age of Senators is now 50.6 years and
the average age of MHRs is 48.6 years. The oldest sitting Member of
Parliament is now 68 years of age and the youngest is 28 years of
age. The current Parliament has 195 Australian born representatives
and 29 born overseas, including 11 from the United Kingdom, four
from New Zealand and two from Italy).
The 'grand old man' of the House was Billy
Hughes (Nat, Bendigo, Vic.) who had been a Member of the House
since 1901.
Hughes (1862-1952) served a record 50 years
(1901 to 1952) in the Federal Parliament as well as being a Member
of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1894 to 1901. He
was originally a Member of the Labor Party and he served
principally as Attorney-General in Labor ministries up to 1915. In
1915 he succeeded Andrew Fisher (Labor) as Prime Minister, a
position he held until 1923. In 1917, quitting the Labor Party, he
formed the new Nationalist Party whilst still managing to stay on
as Prime Minister. In 1923 he was forced to resign and his position
was taken over by Stanley Bruce. He proved to be a continual thorn
in the side of the Bruce-Page Government and was instrumental in
bringing about its downfall in 1929. Hughes had sided with the
Labor Party on the handling of conciliation and arbitration matters
and ... 'In August (1929), when the Government sought to abandon
industrial arbitration to the States, Hughes with a small group of
Nationalist malcontents, organised its defeat by one vote. The
result in doubt till the last, Hughes is said to have mounted guard
over one waverer in the billiard room to prevent him being "got at"
during the dinner break'.(33) For his role in bringing
down the Government, Hughes was expelled from the Nationalist Party
in 1929.
Hughes, never one to give up, was returned to
the Ministry in the Lyons United Australia Party Government in the
1930s. In 1939 he was narrowly defeated for the leadership of the
UAP by Robert Menzies following the death of Lyons. He was expelled
from this third political party in 1944 when he cooperated, against
his Party's instructions, with the Labor Party on the War Advisory
Council. In 1945 he joined the new Liberal Party and remained in
that Party until his death in 1952. Over his Federal parliamentary
career he held four different House of Representatives seats, West
Sydney, 1901-17; Bendigo, 1917-31; North Sydney, 1931-49 and
Bradfield, 1949-52.
In 1927 there were only three other Members,
apart from Hughes, who had served continuously since Federation
(although 43 Members had served the parliament for at least 10
years). They were Sir Littleton Groom, Speaker of the House (Nat,
Darling Downs, Qld); David Watkins (ALP, Newcastle, NSW) and
Senator Sir George Pearce (Nat, WA) who was, in 1927, Vice
President of the Executive Council.
Littleton Groom was elected to the seat of
Darling Downs (Qld) just after Federation. Groom's father (W. H.
Groom) delivered the first speech in the House of Representatives
when it met in Melbourne in 1901 and had the dubious honour of
being the first Member of the House to die in office. He died in
August 1901 and was replaced at a by-election by his son Littleton,
who held the seat of Darling Downs until 1929, only to be returned
again at the 1931 election. He was a Minister in the Deakin, Cook,
Hughes and Bruce-Page Ministries, mainly in the role as
Attorney-General. He was Speaker from January 1926 until the
downfall (in which he played a prominent part, see section on the
Ministry) of the Bruce-Page Government in October 1929. He died in
1936.
David Watkins, like Hughes, Groom and Pearce,
served a large proportion of his life in the service of the Federal
Parliament. However, he did not reach the heights of the other
three. He was a member of the Labor Party and was elected to the
seat of Newcastle (NSW) in 1901 and held that seat until his death
in April 1935. Throughout that whole period he remained a
backbencher.
One of the most distinguished Members of the
tenth Parliament was Senator Sir George Pearce. Pearce represented
Western Australia from 1901 to 1938, began as a Labor Senator,
switched to the Nationalists in 1917 and then to the United
Australia Party in 1931. He was Minister for Defence in the three
Fisher (Labor) Ministries between 1908-09, 1910-13 and 1914-15, and
in the four Hughes Governments to December 1921. Following this he
was the Minister for Home and Territories from 1921 to 1926, Vice
President of the Executive Council from 1926 to 1929, Leader of the
Opposition in the Senate from 1930 to 1931, and Minister for
External Affairs/Territories from 1934 to 1937. He resigned from
Cabinet in 1937 following his defeat at the general elections of
that year. During the years of the Bruce-Page Ministry he was a
close confidant of the Prime Minister. According to Bruce, 'Much of
my courage as Prime Minister was due to Pearce's pricking me
on'.(34)
The only backbencher in the Parliament at this
time to become Prime Minister (with the exception of Francis Forde
who was Prime Minister for one week in 1945) was James Scullin
(ALP). Scullin was first elected to the House of Representatives in
1910. In that year he won the seat of Corangamite (Vic.) but was
defeated at the next general election in 1913. He was a journalist
by profession and it was a further nine years before he was again
elected to Federal Parliament. In 1922 he won the seat of Yarra
(Vic.) and in 1928 he became the leader of the Parliamentary Labor
Party. The downfall of the Bruce-Page Government in 1929 saw
Scullin become the first Australian-born Labor Prime Minister. In
1931 as the effects of the Great Depression began to wreak economic
havoc the Scullin Government fell and was replaced by the Lyons
United Australia Party Government. Scullin stayed on as ALP leader
until 1935 and it was not until 1949 that he left the House of
Representatives at the age of 73. He died four years later.
The Leader of the Opposition during the first
year of operation of the Parliament in Canberra was Matthew
Charlton. He was elected the Member for Hunter (NSW) in 1910 and
held the seat until 1928. Prior to entering the Federal Parliament
he was a Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly from 1903 to 1909.
In 1922 Charlton became leader of the ALP following the death of
Frank Tudor and he remained leader until he resigned in March 1928.
Throughout his term as Leader of the Opposition he failed to make
any real impression on the Parliament and the Bruce-Page
Government. 'It was being said privately that Matt (Charlton) was
too stodgy, that the party could never win under his
leadership'.(35)
Some of the newer Members in the Parliament at
this time were Sir John Gellibrand (Nat, Denison, Tas.); Henry
Gullett (Nat, Henty, Vic.) and Dr Lewis Nott (Nat, Herbert, Qld).
All three were elected in 1925. Gellibrand was one of Australia's
most distinguished generals in the First World War and the founder
of Legacy, the organisation which cares for the dependants of
deceased servicemen. Gellibrand was to serve only one term, he was
defeated in his seat of Denison at the 1928 election.
Henry Gullett, (later Sir Henry), was one of the
authors responsible for the official history of the First World
War, during which he was a war correspondent. He was later to serve
in the Lyons and Menzies Ministries until his tragic death in a
plane crash near Canberra Airport in August 1940.
Lewis Nott, like Gellibrand, was defeated at the
1928 election and later became the Superintendent of the Canberra
Hospital. However, he returned to the Federal Parliament in 1949 as
the first member for the ACT. He served in that capacity from 1949
to 1951.
In 1927 the Parliament was a very different
place to what it is today and the politicians (and staff) had to
suffer a variety of hardships. During the first year after the
opening of the new building, no alcohol was permitted to be sold on
the premises. This was a legacy of King O'Malley who was the
Minister for Home Affairs when NSW ceded the Territory to the
Commonwealth in 1911. It was not until mid-1928 that a referendum
was taken in Canberra on the prohibition issue and a majority (2218
to 2161) voted to repeal the 'dry' ordinance. According to Green,
Parliament House was a 'dreary place' during the prohibition
period:
... in spite of the display of 'soft' drinks on
the shelves. At one stage some ginger wine was added to the stock
and there were rumours that it contained a low alcoholic content,
but to whisky and beer connoisseurs it was such a revolting
beverage that nobody was strong enough to give it a complete test.
There was no ban on Members bringing a private supply with them,
and so there was considerable amount of exchange of hospitality in
the building. This caused one Member to remark in the House when
the question of a liquor referendum was voiced, 'It is evident that
some zealous reformers want to substitute the buying and selling of
liquor in Canberra for the present hospitable practice under which
we give it away to each other'.(36)
The
Ministry
The Cabinet System ... is of all forms of
constitution the most delicate in its adjustments and, therefore,
the most easily thrown out of gear. Depending for the most part
upon conventions, perpetually adapting itself to new conditions,
social and political, subject to continuous modifications in
details, it demands from those responsible for its working
unceasing vigilance, a clear apprehension alike of practical
conditions and philosophical implications: above all it demands a
reverence, almost religious in character, for the inner spirit
which has inspired and still inspires it. (J. A. R. Marriott, 1927,
as quoted in L. F. Crisp, Australian National Government,
Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, 1983, p. 350).
The Bruce-Page Ministry (at 28 September 1927)
only had 13 Members and of those, there were three Honorary
Ministers without portfolio and a Vice President of the Executive
Council, (see Appendix 1 for a list of the full Ministry). Thus,
the main portfolios and workload were in the hands of only nine men
(Bruce himself held three portfolios: Prime Minister, External
Affairs and Health).
Stanley Bruce was first elected in 1917 when he
won the seat of Flinders (Vic.). His background in business led him
continually to stress the need for business methods in government.
One of his greatest achievements was the engineering of one of the
most powerful and durable alliances in Australian politics-the
coalition between the Nationalists and the Country Parties. This
later was transformed into coalitions between the UAP and the
Country Party, and the Liberal Party and the Country Party. He was
Prime Minister from 1923 to 1929 and was brought down by
disaffection within his own Party (see section on The Politicians).
At the 1929 election he even lost his own seat and although
returned again as Member for Flinders in 1931 he never again was a
force in domestic politics. He resigned from Parliament in 1933 and
held various overseas posts in the late 1930s and early to
mid-1940s. He became the first Chancellor of the Australian
National University in 1951. He died in London in 1967 and his
ashes were returned to Australia and scattered over Lake Burley
Griffin in Canberra.
Bruce's deputy, Earle Page, was elected for the
seat of Cowper (NSW) in 1919-a seat he held until 1961. He was
leader of the Country Party from 1921 until 1939. He in fact became
Prime Minister for 12 days from 7 April to 26 April 1938 in the
interim period between the fall of the Lyons Government and the
coming to power of the first Menzies Ministry.
He became Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister in
the Nationalist-Country Party Coalition in 1923 and held both these
positions until 1929. In his role as Treasurer he oversaw two very
important economic developments that were to alter radically the
balance of power between the Federal and State governments-the
establishment of the Loans Council in 1924 and the Commonwealth
State Financial Agreement of 1928. Page's political career did not
finish in 1929. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for
Commerce from 1934 to 1939. He lost his leadership of the Country
Party in the latter year following a strong personal attack on
Prime Minister Menzies. He was Minister for Health from 1949 to
1956 and then saw out his years as a backbencher. He died in 1961
just after losing his seat at the general elections of that
year.
Probably the third most prominent Member of the
Ministry was John Latham, the Attorney-General from 1926 to 1929.
He was elected as an Independent in 1922 to the seat of Kooyong
(Vic.). In 1925 he joined the Nationalists and replaced Littleton
Groom as Attorney-General in 1926. When the Government was defeated
in 1929 he became Leader of the Opposition. In 1931 he stood down
from this position in favour of J. A. Lyons, the leader of the new
United Australia Party. Latham held several portfolios in the Lyons
Government before retiring from politics in 1934. In 1935 he was
made Chief Justice of the High Court, a position he held until
1952. He died in Melbourne in 1964.
Charles Marr was the Minister for Home and
Territories and played a key role in facilitating the shift of
Parliament from Melbourne to Canberra. He started his working life
as a junior assistant in the Postmaster General's Department and,
in 1912, he supervised the erection of the first of Australia's
chain of wireless telegraph stations at Pennant Hills, NSW. He
served with distinction in the First World War and in 1919 won the
seat of Parkes (NSW) as a Nationalist. He was Government Whip in
1921-22 and an Honorary Minister (1925-27) before becoming Minister
for Home and Territories. He lost his seat in 1929 only to be
returned again in 1931. In the Lyons Government he held the
portfolios of Health, Repatriation and Territories. He was defeated
in 1943 and died in October 1960.
William Gibson served as Postmaster General in
the Bruce-Page Government from February 1923 to October 1929. He
was born at Gisborne (Vic.) in 1869 and had a farming background
before entering politics. In 1928 he defeated J. H. Scullin in the
seat of Corangamite (Vic.) and became the first member of the
Farmers' Union Party (later Country Party) to be elected to the
Federal Parliament. Just before becoming Postmaster General he was
elevated to Deputy Leader of the Country Party. He was a very
active Minister and he used his position to further the interests
of people in rural areas. 'It was a role in which he could combine
his interest in technology with his commercial and political
skills. Viewing his post as a mission to decrease the isolation of
country dwellers, he pursued four different approaches:
construction of more telephone lines; extension of the network of
roadside mail deliveries; building of post offices in country
districts; and encouragement and regulation of the infant radio
broadcasting services'.(37) He lost his seat in 1929
but, like Marr, was returned again in 1931. In 1934 he won a Senate
seat in Victoria as a combined United Australia Party-Country Party
candidate. He retired from Parliament in 1947 and died in 1955.
Senator Herbert Pratten was Minister for Trade
and customs from mid-1924 to mid-1928. He was born in Britain in
1865 and was actively engaged in industry after he came to
Australia in the early 1880s. He was three times the Mayor of
Ashfield, Sydney, and three times the President of the NSW Chamber
of Manufactures. He was elected as a Nationalist Senator for NSW in
1917 but transferred to the House of Representatives seat of
Parramatta (NSW) in December 1921. In June 1924 he became Minister
for Trade and Customs and died whilst still serving in that
position in May 1928.
William Hill, Minister for Works and Railways
from August 1924 to November 1928, was born in Victoria and, among
other things, worked for the Victorian Railways before entering
Federal Parliament. Between 1916 and 1919 Hill was the Founding
President of the Victorian Farmers' Union, a body which pledged to
send farmers to both State and Federal Parliaments. He won the seat
of Echuca (Vic.) in 1919 as a Victorian Farmers' Union candidate
and helped form the Country Party in 1920. In his role as Minister
for Works and Railways his 'major achievements' were: 'the
standardization of the railway gauges by construction of the line
from Kyogle, NSW, to South Brisbane; the construction of the rail
line from Oodnadatta, SA to Alice Springs in pursuit of the dream
of a north-south transcontinental line; the introduction of a
Federal aid road scheme to subsidise States for highway
construction; and the building of the Hume Weir'.(38) He
retired from politics in 1934 and the new Member for Echuca was
John McEwen, future leader of the Federal Country Party. Hill died
in Victoria in 1939.
Senator Sir Thomas Glasglow was Minister for
Defence from April 1927 to October 1929. He was born in Queensland
in 1876 and saw service in the Boer War and the First World War. In
the latter conflict he rose to the rank of Major General and was
mentioned nine times in despatches. In 1919 he was elected to the
Senate as a Nationalist (Qld) and served in the Bruce-Page Ministry
as Minister for Home and Territories before becoming Defence
Minister. During his stewardship the Government completed its five
year defence program which increased the citizen army to 5000 and
expanded and modernised the Air Force. From 1929 to 1931 he was
Deputy Opposition Leader in the Senate. He lost his seat in 1931
and in 1939 was appointed Australia's first High Commissioner in
Canada. He returned to Australia in 1945 and died in Brisbane in
1955.
Thomas Paterson was Minister for Markets and
Migration from June 1926 to January 1928. He was elected as the
Country Party Member for Gippsland in 1922 and held the seat until
he retired in 1943. In January 1928 his portfolio was changed to
Minister for Markets and in December of that year it was again
changed to Minister for Markets and Transport.
Although in office from 1923 to 1929, the
Bruce-Page Ministry was not as united and cohesive as it could have
been. 'The resulting composite (Bruce-Page) Ministry-in whose
selection both Nationalist and Country party leaders had a hand-was
far from being in all respects a happy ship. It was finally
shipwrecked as a direct result of a Backbench mutiny led by Hughes
in 1929'.(39) It was not only Hughes who played a
pivotal role in bringing down the Government. The Speaker, Sir
Littleton Groom also was a key player. On
10 September 1929, during the committee stage of the
Maritime Industries Bill (certain sections of which repealed the
Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Acts and Industrial Peace
Acts and which essentially gave the field of industrial legislation
to the States) an amendment was moved that the Act would not come
into effect until either a referendum was held on the matter or
there was a general election. Prime Minister Bruce made it clear
that if the amendment was passed he would call an early election
(the last election had been held in November 1928). The amendment
was agreed to 35 to 34 with Speaker Groom following his usual
practice of not voting in Committee. Bruce duly called a general
election and was defeated.
The Building
and Support Facilities
The fact that the parliament has been sitting
for years in one place and will for the future sit in another
leaves every person in Australia much the same as he was before.
The old men will assemble in the new house: they will be 'National'
or 'provincial' as they were before, and will continue to believe
that the last opinion which they expressed was wiser than an
earlier one ... Parliamentary warfare is not likely to undergo a
change in the new surroundings. There will be misrepresentation,
conscious or unconscious; satire, ponderous and pointed; argument,
close to and wide of the mark; facts which look like fiction, and
fiction dressed to look like facts. (The Melbourne Argus,
10 May 1927).
As outlined briefly in the first section of this
paper, the Cabinet approved the construction of a provisional
Parliament House in July 1923. At about that time a Report was
issued by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works
which outlined the plans and accommodation details for the proposed
building (see Appendix 1) showing plans and specifications of the
proposed building. In the Report the Committee described the
building as having '... foundations of concrete, walls of
Commonwealth bricks externally rough casted or white plastered
above the floor line. Internally, the walls would be cement
plastered and tinted in water paint above the dadoes; the roof
would be of Commonwealth tiles; the floor of the legislative
chambers and of the library and reception halls of thin hardwood
blocks over a layer of concrete. In the ordinary rooms, the
proposal is for hardwood flooring boards on joists. The lavatories
would be tiled, and the terraces and garden paths would have bricks
or brick tiles; the outside steps would be of concrete, with
granolithic or similar finish. The joinery is proposed to be of
timbers which have been seasoning at Canberra for years, such as
maple, blackwood, cedar and black bean ...'(40)
The plan of the building and environs provided
for accommodation on two floors: the main floor housing the two
legislative Chambers; a library; party rooms and offices; a
reception hall; room for Press representatives; recreation space
and space for public galleries and other functions related to the
Parliament.
On 28 August 1923 the first sod on the site was
turned by the Hon. P. G. Stewart, Minister for Works and Railways.
The preparation of the site 'consisted of equalizing the ground
levels on either flank of the proposed building and the preparation
of the ground area ... About 50 000 cubic yards (of soil) were
removed and deposited'.(41)
By late 1925 there were 250 tradesmen working on
the site and by mid-1926 all the brickwork had been completed. The
plasterers then moved in using the scaffolding left by the
bricklayers.
One prominent visitor to the site in late 1925,
A. P. Herbert (editor of Punch magazine), described his experience
thus: 'I crawled under a ladder, put my foot in some cement, and
entered the great Parliament House. We heard a noise like a battle.
Our guide peered through a forest of beams into a space floored
with corrugated iron, in the middle of which a concrete mixer was
noisily at work. "That is the Senate", he shouted. He took us to
look at a crowd of men hard at work in a cloud of dust, "the Lower
House", he said with a proud gesture. Finally, they took us out to
a grand terrace. Our friend pointed to an empty field and said
"That is the National Library". "Remarkable", we said; and so it
was, for at that moment there was passing through the National
Library a real Australian cow'.(42)
When the structural work was completed, tenders
were called for tradesmen to do the finishing work. The firm that
had built the Hotel Canberra was awarded the contract for laying
the bitumen roof and carpenters, using, amongst other materials,
oregon from the forests near Bungendore, were fixing the ceiling
rafters and joists. And in the best Federation spirit the metal
window frames were manufactured by an engineering firm in Sydney; a
Melbourne firm installed the various kitchen equipment; a South
Australian firm manufactured the furniture and Grace Brothers
(Sydney) and Myer (Melbourne) put in the floor coverings and
carpets. 'By Anzac Day 1927, all the tradesmen had moved out of the
building and Parliament House was being tidied and dressed for the
opening day'.(43)
According to Butler there were a total of 63
offices in the building in 1927 and they were used as
follows:(44)
|
Number of Offices (Approx.)
|
Number of People (Approx.)
|
Cabinet Ministers
|
12
|
12
|
Chairmen of Committees
|
2
|
2
|
Leaders of Opposition
|
2
|
2
|
Party Whips
|
5
|
5
|
Ex President
|
1
|
1
|
Ex Prime Minister
|
1
|
1
|
Ministers' Secretaries
|
6
|
12
|
Senate Staff
|
9
|
15
|
House Representative Staff
|
8
|
21
|
Library Staff
|
6
|
14
|
Hansard Staff
|
5
|
15
|
Joint House Staff
|
1
|
1
|
Parliamentary Committees Staff
|
3
|
5
|
Parliamentary Draftsman
|
1
|
1
|
Secretary PM's Department
|
1
|
1
|
Total
|
63
|
108
|
The accommodation allowed two rooms per
Minister, one for the Minister and one for his secretary. Cabinet
meetings were generally held at West Block when Parliament was not
sitting. However, in 1933 the cabinet room was transferred to
Parliament House, where it still adjoins the Prime Minister's
office.
The table above shows that, at this time,
approximately 85 official staff were employed at Parliament House
(excluded are kitchen staff, waiters etc.) servicing the needs of
the politicians. The largest contingent was in the Department of
the House of Representatives with 21 staff; followed by the Senate
with 15; Hansard, 15; Library staff, 14; and Ministers'
secretaries, 12.
Overcrowding was a problem from the beginning.
'The transfer of the Cabinet room from West Block to Parliament
house and subsequent increases in the Ministry over the years ...
and the need for Ministers to employ additional staff in the House
itself, presented problems of office accommodation. At first the
problem was overcome by subdividing some of the larger rooms, by
converting four small corridors, two strangers' rooms and a toilet
into offices, and enclosing verandahs adjoining the courtyards. As
a result of these alterations the number of individual offices
available had increased to 83 by 1939'.(45)
(By way of contrast, the new Parliament House
has over 3500 people working in it on sitting days. There are 4500
rooms in the building covering a total area 240 000 square
metres. There are approximately 28 kilometres of corridors and all
Senators and Members have their own ensuites and kitchenettes in
their offices).
Compared with today, the politicians of 1927 had
little support to help them prepare speeches and answer
correspondence. They did not have their own office and therefore
they had to work in the party rooms. There were few secretaries, no
assistants to help them and a total library staff of only 14 meant
that members were largely left to their own devices. It was to be
many years before even minimum support was provided. In 1944
cabinet decided 'that secretary/typists should be provided for all
Senators and Members of the House of Representatives who desired
such assistance'.(46)
(Today, backbenchers are entitled to three
full-time staff, typically an electorate secretary and two
researchers. Ministers, as well as the three staff they are
entitled to as backbenchers, can have between eight to 10 staff,
depending on the size/importance of the portfolio carried and the
Prime Minister has a private staff of approximately 30 people.)
The feat of moving the Parliamentary (and
National) Library was a great achievement in itself. A total of
108 800 volumes was moved from Melbourne to Canberra between
November 1926 and March 1927 and 'not a single book was lost or
even damaged'.(47) The space provided for the Library
was not overly generous and led the then Assistant Parliamentary
Librarian, Kenneth Binns, to comment on the proposed arrangements
thus: 'I do not think the suggested assignments are ideal, but the
plans were prepared before we were consulted, and it was a case of
accepting the least inconvenient arrangement'.(48) Only
three rooms were to be provided for Library staff, one for the
Librarian, one for the Assistant Librarian and one for the
Accountant. As well there was to be space for a reading room and
bookshelves of volumes, an area for newspapers and periodicals, and
rooms for storage of books, catalogues and newspapers. The annual
salary of the Parliamentary Librarian in 1927, Mr Wadsworth, was
1000. (The Act of Parliament of 1960 which created the National
Library and, eventually a great building, was visionary in that it
allowed the Parliamentary Library to further develop [and from 1966
the Research Service] the provision of information and research to
Senators and Members across the political spectrum. As a result the
Parliament has been helped in its task of keeping the Executive
accountable).
The Press were to be housed on the Upper Floor
of the new building with offices on both the House of
Representatives and the Senate side of the Parliament. Press
Galleries were included to look down into both chambers with
seating for 80 journalists in each chamber. This space was
obviously reduced in the final plan as the galleries have never had
sufficient space for that number.
The access and privileges of the Press Gallery
in relation to the new building were restricted compared with the
situation today. In a letter written to the Prime Minister on
26 September 1927, Speaker Groom said that 'we are
endeavouring to arrange with the Press to enter the House by the
lower floor and to their rooms directly by the lift. During the
sittings of the House should members of the Press desire to see a
Minister, it is suggested that the Press can go to the King's Hall
and send in a card to the Minister. If the Minister is willing to
see him, he may then see him either in the King's Hall or in his
own private room'. By way of reply on 5 October, Bruce said, 'I
entirely concur with the arrangements which have been made in
regard to the admission of the Press to Parliament
House'.(49) To formalise the arrangements, Prime
Minister Bruce wrote to all his Ministers informing them of the
decision.
Sixty one years
on-Moving House
It was envisaged that the Provisional Parliament
House would serve as the seat of the Commonwealth Government for 50
years. Sixty one years later the building was still functioning as
the national legislature-the last sitting was held in June
1988.
Apart from close physical proximity, there was a
degree of continuity when the seat of the National Parliament
changed geographical location. As well as the politicians and staff
directly transferring from the old to the new Parliament House,
there was symbolic continuity. Many of the important symbols of
Parliament that have been very much associated with the history of
the provisional building were transferred up the hill.
With respect to the two chambers, the most
important symbols that were transferred were the Mace and the two
Despatch Boxes from the House, and the Black Rod from the Senate.
Importantly, it was decided that both the Speaker's Chair and the
President's Chair would not be transferred. Neither were the main
Tables and the Sandglasses from both Chambers.
Other items that were transferred to the new
building include certain works of art and other memorabilia that
used to be sited in Kings Hall or other areas of the provisional
building.
Just as Senators and Members bemoaned the move
from Melbourne's Parliament House to Canberra, so too, were they to
bemoan the much shorter move from the inadequate old Parliament
House to the grander new Parliament House. Old Parliament House
had, over time, developed some very well established and much loved
traditions and cultures. Nostalgia about these can occasionally
still be heard (or remains) among the 25 per cent of Senators and
Members who once worked within its walls.
Endnotes
- Sir Earle Page, Truant Surgeon: The Inside Story of Forty
Years of Australian Political Life, Angus and Robertson,
Sydney, 1963, p. 166.
- Alan Fitzgerald, The History of Canberra, Landsdowne
Press, Sydney, p. 22.
- The Provisional Parliament House 1927-87, pamphlet by
Australian Archives, Canberra, 1987.
- Gavin Souter, Acts of Parliament, Melbourne University
Press, Melbourne, 1988, p. 219.
- Estimate by Statistics Group: Legislative Research Service,
Parliamentary Library.
- Fitzgerald, op. cit., p. 31.
- Souter, op. cit.
- Parliamentary Debates, 9 May 1927, p. 6677.
- ibid., p. 2065.
- ibid., p. 6045.
- ibid., pp. 7191 and 7233.
- Frank Green, Servant of the House, Heinemann,
Melbourne, 1969, pp. 67 and 73.
- Souter, op. cit., p. 221.
- Parliamentary Proceedings, 9 May 1927, p. 2.
- ibid., pp 11-12.
- ibid., p. 12.
- ibid., p. 17.
- ibid., p. 34.
- Green, op. Cit., p. 66.
- Parliamentary Proceedings, 28 September 1927 p. 64.
- As quoted in Green, op. cit., p. 68.
- ibid., p. 69.
- Parliamentary Proceedings, 28 October 1927, pp. 816-17.
- ibid., 18 November 1927, p. 1605.
- ibid., p. 1605.
- ibid., p. 1611.
- ibid., 24 November 1927, p. 1830.
- ibid., pp. 1832-3.
- ibid., pp. 1834-5.
- Frank Crowley, A New History of Australia, Heinemann,
Melbourne, 1980, pp. 408-9.
- ibid., p. 410.
- Souter, op. it., pp. 232-3.
- Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds, Australian Dictionary
of Biography, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, vol. 9
1983, p. 399.
- ibid., vol. 7 1979, p. 455.
- Souter, op. cit., p. 236.
- Green, op, cit., p. 70.
- Nairn and Serle, op. cit., vol. 8, 1981, p. 658.
- ibid., vol. 9, p. 299.
- L. F. Crisp, Australian National Government, Longman
Cheshire, Melbourne, 1983, p. 361.
- Australia, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works,
Report on the Erection of Provisional Parliament House,
Canberra, 1923, p. xi.
- Mark Butler, Parliament House, Canberra, unpublished
thesis, University of NSW, 1978, p. 98.
- As quoted in Butler, ibid., p. 106.
- ibid., p. 113.
- ibid., p. 155.
- ibid., p. 155.
- J. R. Odgers, Australian Senate Practice, Australian
Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1976, p. 146.
- Souter, op. cit., p. 220.
- and M. Osborn, The Making of the National Library of
Australia, unpublished manuscript, p. 225.
- Correspondence between The Speaker and The Prime Minister,
September-October 1927, Australian Archives, Canberra.
Appendix 1:
Various Information and Data on Parliament House
1927
Government: Bruce-Page
Coalition (from 9 February 1923 to 22 October 1929).
Tenth Parliament First Session.
General election: 14 November 1925. Opened: 13 January 1926.
House's last sitting day: 21-22 September 1928. Dissolution:
9 October 1928.
Bruce-Page Minister as at 28 September
1927.
Prime Minister: Stanley Bruce (Nat)
Minister for External Affairs: Stanley Bruce
(Nat)
Treasurer: Earle Page (CP)
Minister for Home and Territories: Charles Marr
(Nat)
Attorney-General: John Latham (Nat)
Postmaster General: William Gibson (CP)
Minister for Trade and Customs: Herbert Pratten
(Nat)
Minister for Works and Railways: William Hill
(CP)
Minister for Defence: Senator Sir William
Glasglow (Nat)
Minister for Health: Stanley Bruce: (Nat)
Minister for Markets and Migration: Thomas
Patterson (CP)
Vice President of the Executive Council: Senator
George Pearce (Nat)
Honorary Minister: Sir Neville Howse (Nat)
Honorary Minister: Senator Thomas Crawford
(Nat)
Honorary Minister: Senator Alexander McLachlan
(Nat)
Members of the Senate: Tenth Parliament (From 1
July 1926)
Senators |
State |
Percy Abbott (CP) |
NSW |
David Andrew (CP) |
Vic. |
John Barnes (ALP) |
Vic. |
Hon. Sir Henry Barwell
(Nat) |
SA |
William Carroll
(CP) |
WA |
John Chapman (CP) |
SA |
Charles Cox (Nat) |
NSW |
Hon. Thomas Crawford
(Nat) |
Qld |
Walter Duncan
(Nat) |
Vic. |
Harold Elliott
(Nat) |
Vic. |
Hon. Edward Findley
(ALP) |
Vic. |
Hattil Foll (Nat) |
Qld |
Thomas Givens
(Nat) |
Qld |
Hon. Sir Thomas
Glasglow (Nat) |
Qld |
Charles Graham
(ALP) |
NSW |
John Grant (ALP) |
NSW |
Hon. Walter Greene
(Nat) |
NSW |
James Guthrie
(Nat) |
Vic. |
John Hayes (Nat) |
Tas. |
Hon. Herbert Hays
(Nat) |
Tas. |
Albert Hoare (ALP) |
SA |
Walter Kingsmill
(Nat) |
WA |
Hon. Patrick Lynch
(Nat) |
WA |
Charles McHugh
(ALP) |
SA |
Hon. Alexander
McLachlan (Nat) |
SA |
John Millen (Nat) |
Tas. |
Edward Needham
(ALP) |
WA |
Hon. Sir John Newlands
(Nat) |
SA |
James Ogden (Nat) |
Tas. |
Hon. Herbert Payne
(Nat) |
Tas. |
Rt Hon. Sir George
Pearce (Nat) |
WA |
William Plain
(Nat) |
Vic. |
Matthew Reid (Nat) |
Qld |
Burford Sampson
(Nat) |
Tas. |
Hon. Josiah Thomas
(Nat) |
NSW |
William Thompson
(Nat) |
Qld |
Members of the House: Tenth
Parliament-From May 1927.
Member
|
Electorate
|
Charles Abbott (CP)
|
Gwydir (NSW)
|
Frank Anstey (ALP)
|
Bourke (Vic.)
|
Hon. Llewelyn Atkinson (Nat)
|
Wilmot (Tas.)
|
James Bayley (Nat)
|
Oxley (Qld)
|
George Bell (Nat)
|
Darwin (Tas.)
|
Arthur Blakeley (ALP)
|
Darling (NSW)
|
Hon. Eric Bowden (Nat)
|
Parramatta (NSW)
|
Frank Brennan (ALP)
|
Batman (Vic.)
|
Rt Hon. Stanley Bruce (Nat)
|
Flinders (Vic.)
|
Donald Cameron (Nat)
|
Brisbane (Qld)
|
Malcolm Cameron(Nat)
|
Barker (SA)
|
Matthew Charlton (ALP)
|
Hunter (NSW)
|
Percy Coleman (ALP)
|
Reid (NSW)
|
Robert Cook (CP)
|
Indi (Vic.)
|
Edward Corser (Nat)
|
Wide Bay (Qld)
|
John Duncan-Hughes (Nat)
|
Boothby (SA)
|
James Fenton (ALP)
|
Maribyrnong (Vic.)
|
Francis Forde (ALP)
|
Capricornia (Qld)
|
Hon. Richard Foster (Nat)
|
Wakefield (SA)
|
Grosvenor Francis (Nat)
|
Kennedy (Qld)
|
Josiah Francis (Nat)
|
Moreton (QLd)
|
Sydney Gardner (Nat)
|
Robertson (NSW)
|
Sir John Gellibrand (Nat)
|
Denison (Tas.)
|
Hon. William Gibson (CP)
|
Corangamite (Vic.)
|
Albert Green (ALP)
|
Kalgoorlie (WA)
|
Roland Green (CP)
|
Richmond (NSW)
|
Hon. Henry Gregory (CP)
|
Swan (WA)
|
Hon. Sir Littleton Groom (Nat)
|
Darling Downs (Qld)
|
Henry Gullett (Nat)
|
Henty (Vic.)
|
Hon. William Hill (CP)
|
Echuca (Vic.)
|
Hon. Sir Neville Howse (Nat)
|
Calare (NSW)
|
Rt Hon. William Hughes (Nat)
|
North Sydney (NSW)
|
James Hunter (CP
|
Maranoa (Qld)
|
Geoffry Hurry (Nat)
|
Bendigo (Vic.)
|
David Jackson (Nat)
|
Bass (Tas.)
|
Hon. Sir Eilliot Johnson (Nat)
|
Lang (NSW)
|
William Killen (CP)
|
Riverina (NSW)
|
Andrew Lacey (ALP)
|
Grey (SA)
|
William Lambert (ALP)
|
West Sydney (NSW)
|
Hon. John Latham (Nat)
|
Kooyong (Vic.)
|
Hubert Lazzarini (ALP)
|
Werriwa (NSW)
|
Hon. Thomas Ley (Nat)
|
Corio (Vic.)
|
George Mackay (Nat)
|
Lilley (Qld)
|
Norman Makin (ALP)
|
Hindmarsh (SA)
|
William Maloney (ALP)
|
Melbourne (Vic.)
|
Edward Mann (Nat)
|
Perth (WA)
|
Arthur Manning (Nat)
|
Macquarie (NSW)
|
Walter Marks (Nat)
|
Wentworth (NSW)
|
Hon. Charles Marr (Nat)
|
Parkes (NSW)
|
James Mathews (ALP)
|
Melbourne Ports (Vic.)
|
George Maxwell (Nat)
|
Fawkner (Vic.)
|
David McGrath (alP
|
Ballarat (Vic.)
|
Parker Moloney (ALP)
|
Hume (NSW)
|
Harold Nelson (ALP)
|
Northern Territory
|
Lewis Nott (Nat)
|
Herbert (Qld)
|
Hon. Earle page (CP)
|
Cowper (NSW)
|
Robert Parkhill (Nat)
|
Warringah (NSW)
|
Walter Parsons (Nat)
|
Angas (SA)
|
Hon. Thomas Paterson (CP)
|
Gippsland (Vic.)
|
John Perkins (Nat)
|
Eden Monaro (NSW)
|
Hon. Hebert Pratten (Nat)
|
Forrest (WA)
|
Edward Riley (ALP)
|
South Sydney (NSW)
|
Edward Charles Riley (ALP)
|
Cook (NSW)
|
Hon. Arthur Rodgers (Nat)
|
Wannon (Vic.)
|
James Scullin (ALP)
|
Yarra (Vic.)
|
Alfred Seabrook (Nat)
|
Franklin (Tas.)
|
Hon. Percy Stewart (Ind.)
|
Wimmera (Vic.)
|
Hon. Edward Theordore (ALP)
|
Dalley (NSW)
|
Victor Thompson (CP)
|
New England (NSW)
|
Hon. David Watkins (ALP)
|
Newcastle (NSW)
|
William Watson (Ind.)
|
Fremantle (WA)
|
Rt Hon. William Watt (Nat)
|
Balaclava (Vic.)
|
John West (ALP)
|
East Sydney (NSW)
|
George Yates (ALP)
|
Adelaide (SA)
|
Governor General: Rt Hon. J. L.
B. Stonehaven (8 October 1925 to 22 January 1931).
Leader of the Opposition: Matthew Charlton
(ALP) (16 June 1922 to 29 March 1928).
President of the Senate: Hon. John Newlands
(Nat) (1 July 1926 to 13 August 1929).
Speaker: Hon Sir Littleton Groom (Nat) (13
January 1926 to 11 October 1929).
Clerk of the Senate: George Monahan (28 August
1920 to 31 October 1938).
Clerks of the House: Walter Gale (1 February
1917 to 27 July 1927); John Mcgregor (1 September 1927 to 28
September 1927); Ernest Parkes (27 October 1927 to 22 March
1937).
Parliamentary Librarian: Arthur Wadsworth: (1
July 1901 to 31 December 1927).
Party Affiliation in the House (after 1925
General Election)
National
|
Labour
|
Country
|
Independent
|
Total
|
37
|
24
|
14
|
1
|
76
|
Party Affiliation in Senate (From 1 July
1926)
National
|
Labour
|
Country
|
Independent
|
Total
|
24
|
8
|
4
|
0
|
36
|
Sittings of the House (1927)
Total time: 59 days (523 hours)
Average hours per sitting: 8 hours 51 minutes
Number sittings after midnight: 4
Average Time of Rising: 9.48 p.m.
Consideration of Legislation by the House
(1927)
Total acts for year: 38
Bills introduced and read a first time: 50
Bills brought from Senate: 6
Bills considered by committee of the whole: 40
Other House of Representatives information
(1927)
Matters of Public Importance: 6
Adjournment Debates: 25
Number of petitions: 1
Number of divisions: 48
General Senate Information (1927-28 period)
Petitions: There were no petitions presented in the 1927-28
period
Number of days sitting: 1927 (44); 1928 (43)
Number of bills initiated in Senate: 1927 (3); 1928 (9). Note
the comparable House figures were 35 and 39 respectively.
Committees as at September 1927
Joint:
- House
- Library
- Printing
- Public Accounts
- Public Works
- Moving Picture Industry (Select).
Senate:
- Disputed Returns and Qualifications
- Standing Orders.
House:
(Today, the Parliament has in excess of 50
parliamentary committees covering all portfolio areas as well as
domestic/housekeeping matters. For a full list of the committees
see the Parliament House web site at: http://www.aph.gov.au/index.htm).
Schedule of Proposed Provisional
Parliament House, 1923
Extract from:
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works
Report together with Minutes of Evidence, Appendices and Plans
relating to the proposed Erection of Provisional Parliament House,
Canberra, pages vi-ix, Melbourne, 1923, Government Printer,
Melbourne.
Paragraph 13.
The proposal, as expressed in the sketch
drawings submitted to the Committee, is for the erection of grouped
buildings of light brick and concrete construction in accordance
with views elicited from the President, the Speaker, and Officers
of Parliament, in which the functions of legislation may be
conducted until such time as it may become policy to proceed with
the erection of the permanent monumental Parliamentary Building
which was at one time contemplated. The buildings are designed on
simple lines, but to meet the varied requirements of parliament,
are somewhat extensive, the accommodation proposed to be provided
comprising:
Reception Accommodation
|
Sup.*.feet
|
Reception hall
|
2 304
|
Reception corridors surrounding hall
|
5 760
|
Total
|
8 064
|
Legislative Accommodation
(Senate)
|
Sup.* feet
|
Senate Chamber (80 members)}
|
-
|
Public Gallery (86 persons)}
|
2 688
|
Press Galleries (80 persons)
|
560
|
Press Rooms
|
801
|
Members' Lobbies (2)
|
552
|
Spare Room
|
84
|
Total
|
4 685
|
Representatives
Accommodation
|
Sup.* feet
|
Representatives Chamber (112 members)}
|
-
|
Public Gallery (60 persons)}
|
2 688
|
Public Gallery (45 persons)
|
372
|
Press Galleries (2) (80 persons)
|
672
|
Press Room
|
372
|
Members' Lobbies (2)
|
552
|
Spare Room
|
84
|
Total
|
4 740
|
Legislators' Official
Accommodation-Senate
|
Sup.* feet
|
President (4 rooms and bathroom)
|
842
|
Chairman of Committees
|
252
|
Leader of Senate (3 rooms and bathroom)
|
705
|
Party Rooms (2)
|
966
|
Minister' Rooms (2)
|
504
|
Senate Club
|
1 728
|
Committee Rooms (2)
|
396
|
Ante-rooms (2)
|
408
|
Strangers' Rooms (2)
|
362
|
Total
|
6 163
|
Legislators' Official
Accommodation-Representatives
|
Sup.* feet
|
Speaker (4 rooms and bathroom)
|
864
|
Chairman of Committees
|
234
|
Prime Minister (3 rooms and bathroom)
|
782
|
Ministers' Rooms (7)
|
1 524
|
Ante and Strangers' Rooms (2)
|
308
|
Total
|
3 712
|
Party Accommodation
|
Sup.* feet
|
Ministerial Party Rooms (4)
|
1 109
|
Opposition Rooms (3)
|
1 350
|
Country Party Rooms (3)
|
1 010
|
Total
|
3 469
|
Committee Accommodation
|
Sup.* feet
|
Committee Rooms (7)
|
4 155
|
Total
|
4 155
|
Library Accommodation
|
Sup.* feet
|
Library and Reading Room
|
2 576
|
Newspaper and Periodicals
|
1 568
|
Cataloguing, Receiving, Binding and Store Rooms
(5)
|
1 606
|
Newspaper Storage (6 rooms)
|
3 658
|
Book Storage (3 rooms)
|
8 652
|
Library Administrative Staff (3 rooms)
|
686
|
Total
|
18 746
|
Official Staff
Accommodation-
|
Sup.* feet
|
Senate
|
-
|
Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Clerk of Papers, Usher,
Records, Typists (9 rooms)
|
4 145
|
Representatives
|
-
|
Clerk of House (2), Assistant Clerk,
2nd Assistant Clerk, Clerk of Papers Sergeant at Arms,
Accountant, Records (5), Typists (3), (15 rooms)
|
4 796
|
Hansard
|
-
|
Chief of Staff and Reporters (5 rooms) }
|
-
|
Transcribing (6 rooms) }
|
1 420
|
Post Office
|
-
|
Post Office, Telegraph Office, and Telephone
Exchange (3 rooms)
|
533
|
Total
|
10 894
|
Refection and Recreation
Accommodation-Members
|
Sup.* feet
|
Dining Room
|
2 400
|
Private Dining Rooms (5)
|
1 170
|
Smoking Room and Lounge
|
1 280
|
Billiard Room
|
1 550
|
Bar and Cellarage
|
1 180
|
Total
|
7 580
|
Refection and Recreation
Accommodation-Officers
|
Sup.* feet
|
Officers' Sitting and Dining Room
|
1 600
|
Typists Sitting and Dining Rooms (2)
|
527
|
Messengers' Sitting and Changing Room
|
434
|
Kitchen and Waiting Staff (2 rooms)
|
322
|
Spare Rooms (3)
|
780
|
Service Room
|
180
|
Total
|
3 843
|
Refection and Recreation
Accommodation-Kitchen and Offices
|
Sup.* feet
|
Kitchen and Servery
|
1 664
|
Offices (13 rooms)
|
1 006
|
General Store
|
532
|
Heating and Mechanical Appliances
|
1 560
|
Total
|
4 762
|
Two Cottages
|
2 360
|
Total
|
83 173
|
This Schedule
does not include: |
Total Area
|
(a) Messengers'
Accommodation, which is disposed in positions considered suitable
in relation to the several Departments of the Houses |
726
|
(b) Lavatory
Accommodation disposed generally throughout the Houses |
2 764
|
(c) Corridors,
including Entrance Vestibule |
11 780
|
(d) Terraces,
Verandahs, and Loggias |
8 850
|
N. B. Total areas of land covered by buildings
and enclosed gardens, 342 feet x 455 feet, equal to 155 610 feet,
equal to about 3 acres.
Convenient
further extension of plan may be obtained by: |
Sup.* Feet
|
(a) Two one-storey
wings flanking Kitchen |
4 550
|
(b) Lower floors under
Hansard and Ministerial Party Rooms flanking Library |
4 275
|
(c) Upper stories on
right and left outer centre pavilions |
10 600
|
Total |
19 425
|
* Note: Sup. feet =
super feet or square feet.
Appendix 2:
Photographs of Parliament House 1925-27

