Explore the Senate and House of Representatives chambers, the Federation chamber and a Senate committee room on this 360 degree virtual tour.

I am well aware that, as I acquit myself in the work that I have undertaken for the next three years, so shall I either prejudice or enhance the prospects of those women who may wish to follow me in public service in the years to come.

So spoke Dame Edith Lyons, first female member of the House of Representatives, in her first speech to the House in 1943. And follow her they did. This display celebrates all women who have served in the federal parliament.

The Australian Parliament which met for the first time in May 1901 was the most democratic in the world. The members of the first Parliament were a remarkable group of individuals, fired with a sense of destiny. In three years of hard work they laid the legislative foundation of the nation.

This exhibition tells the story of our first federal Parliament: its origins, who its members were, how it worked, and its achievements.