ArchivesACT has chosen records about the Australian Parliament’s move to Canberra for its January Find of the Month.
The Archives said the records were from the Federal Capital Commission (FCC), established on 1 January 1925 to build and administer the developing city of Canberra.
“It took control of these responsibilities from its predecessor, the Federal Capital Advisory Committee, that had already overseen the beginning of the construction works of the provisional Parliament House, administrative offices, hostels and cottages to facilitate the first stage of the relocation of the Federal Parliament,” the Archives said.
“The commission existed for a relatively short period of time, being abolished in May 1930 when the ACT Advisory Council took over,” it said.
“But these were critical years in Canberra’s development.”
The Archives said that at the time of the FCC’s establishment the provisional Parliament House and Hotel Canberra were still under construction.
“In addition to the work on completing the provisional Parliament House, much of the early business of the commission involved providing enough housing to accommodate the departmental staff and their families that were about to converge on the Federal Capital Territory,” it said.
“The Commission’s first annual report includes details of how its Departments were re-structured into five Departments; the Secretarial, Accounts, Lands, Engineer’s and Commissariat Departments.”
ArchivesACT said its Find included a large format plan created by the FCC that included the provisional Parliament House and the East and West block administrative buildings.
“The FCC not only coordinated the completion of the buildings but also the planting of trees in the precinct through its Parks and Gardens Branch,” it said.
ArchivesACT’s Find of the Month for January can be accessed at this PS News link.
