Western Australia’s Parliament House has been permanently included on the State Register of Heritage Places.
One of the State’s most important and well recognised landmarks, Parliament House overlooks St Georges Terrace and the Swan River and was built in stages under the direction of the then Chief Architect of Public Works, J. H. Grainger.
Minister for Heritage, David Templeman said the Harvest Terrace façade, including the two Parliamentary chambers, was completed by 1904 before construction stopped as successive Governments focused on boosting the supply of housing, hospitals and schools following the Great Depression and two World Wars.
“For nearly 60 years, Parliament House stood untouched. Then, in 1958, construction started on the iconic three-storey eastern façade with its stone and tile columns,” Mr Templeman said.
“Parliament House and its grounds are an integral component of a historic civic precinct encompassing the former Hale School, the Old Observatory and Dumas House.”
He said it had provided a stately venue for civic ceremonies and functions for more than a century, also serving as a meeting point for public protests, rallies and press conferences.
“Since the opening of Parliament House in 1904, 819 Members of Parliament and thousands of staff that support them have been through its doors and taken a seat in its chambers,” Mr Templeman said.
“This is a unique place which represents our shared history, the democratic system and freedom of speech valued by all Western Australians.”
