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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 5pm

Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

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Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

Celebrating the spirit of Australian democracy and the power of your voice within it. https://www.moadoph.gov.au/about/online-house-rules/

We’re all about celebrating the spirit of Australian democracy and the power of your voice. That means we love having conversations about history, politics, social change and rights – meaningful, though sometimes prickly, topics. It’s important we provide a safe space for these tricky conversations, so we have some house rules for online participation to ensure we’re all on the same page. These rules cover participation on our website and across all our social media communities.

03/06/2026

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this post contains images and names of deceased persons.

Mabo Day is marked annually on 3 June. It commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his efforts to overturn the concept of terra nullius.

📷 Eddie Mabo (left) and Jack Wailu on the Island of Mer in the Torres Strait Islands in 1990. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A6180, 9/3/94/23.
📷 Eddie Mabo, self-portrait, n.d, Courtesy National Library of Australia, AD00412.

02/06/2026

In 1988, the final sittings at Old Parliament House were filled with speeches, celebrations and farewells as parliament prepared to move to its new home.

📸 Parliamentarian, staff and press singing Auld Lang Syne in House of Representatives Chamber, 1988. Robert McFarlane, Department of the House of Representatives. Museum of Australian Democracy collection.
📸 Senator Robert Hill (facing camera) and colleagues in the Senate chamber after the last sitting, 1988. Trevor Fowler, Hansard Reporter. Museum of Australian Democracy collection.
📸 Hansard staff party, 1988. Trevor Fowler, Hansard Reporter. Museum of Australian Democracy collection.
📸 Lower floor on the Senate side, 1988. John Cure. Museum of Australian Democracy collection.

31/05/2026

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this post contains images and names of deceased persons.

Faith Bandler was one of the leading figures behind the historic 1967 referendum on Indigenous Affairs.

📸 Portrait of Faith Bandler, by Alexander Asovtseff, 1962. Courtesy the National Library of Australia obj-136357720.

📸 Faith Bandler aboard the MV Australia en route to the World Festival of Youth and Students for Peace and Friendship in Berlin, 1951. Courtesy the National Library of Australia.

📸 Portrait of Faith Mussing, Australian Women's Land Army, outside the Land Army Hostel at Wamoon, NSW, 1943. Courtesy the Australian War Memorial.

📸 Lobbyists from the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders meet with Harold Holt in February 1967. Left to right: Gordon Bryant MP, Faith Bandler, Prime Minister Harold Holt, Douglas Nicholls, Burnum Burnum (Harry Penrith), Winnie Branson, William Wentworth MP. Courtesy National Archives of Australia.

📸 Faith Bandler at the Sydney Town Hall where people were voting in the 1967 referendum. Picture by George Lipman | Fairfax.

📸 Faith Bandler receives the Order of Australia, from Governor General, Quentin Bryce, at Admiralty House in Sydney, 2006 | Fairfax.

28/05/2026

We interrupt your doom scroll for coffee, freshly baked pastries and yummy hot dishes.

Then make the most of your visit to our Courtyard Café with a stroll through the rose gardens or a wander through the Museum.

Our Courtyard Café is open all long weekend 🫶
☕ Monday to Friday 8am – 4:30pm
☕ Saturday to Sunday 9:30am – 4pm

27/05/2026

Not long till we’ll start seeing snow like this around Canberra ❄️

📸 Parliament House in winter, snow on hills, 1978. Courtesy the National Archives of Australia k11/7/78/12

26/05/2026

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this post contains images of deceased persons.

Today marks the day the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament.

It’s a day when we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of First Nation peoples who were forcibly removed from their families, which we now know as the Stolen Generations.

📸 Maireener shells, 2008. Museum of Australian Democracy Collection.
📸 People gather on the Parliament lawns to hear former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd deliver an apology. February 13, 2008. Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty.
📸 Bringing them Home report - report of the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, April 1997.

24/05/2026

A time before Google Maps. Do you remember unfolding a map or flipping through a street directory book to get around?

📸 Tourist looking at a map of Canberra outside Parliament House, May 1966. Courtesy the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy Tourism Australia.

21/05/2026

Have you ever joined a Highlights Tour at Old Parliament House or stopped for a chat with a friendly face in the corridors? Then chances are you’ve met one of our volunteers.

Our volunteers help visitors connect with the building’s history by leading tours, supporting big events, and sharing the moments and stories that make this building so special.

We’re lucky to have more than 60 dedicated volunteers, with some having been part of our community for 30 years. Together, they deliver more than 1,460 tours every year, generously giving their time, knowledge and passion to every visitor experience. ❤️

Next time you pop by Old Parliament House, jump on a Highlights tour with one of our volunteers.

Book your spot via the link: https://www.moadoph.gov.au/visit/whats-on/tours/highlights-of-old-parliament-house

20/05/2026

Have you ever wondered if parliamentarians slept at Old Parliament House?

📸 Parliament House Canberra c1930. Courtesy of Archives ACT.
📸 Hotel Canberra, on Commonwealth Avenue, only a few hundred yards from Federal Parliament House, Canberra, 1957. Courtesy the National Archives of Australia, A1200 L23610.
📸 The Hotel Kurrajong at Barton, Canberra, ACT. A short distance from Parliament House, 1959. Courtesy the National Archives of Australia, A1200 L30803.
📸 Folding bed in Members Office, Parliament House, 1927. Courtesy the National Archives of Australia, A3560, 1170.
📸 The Canberra Times Display Advertising, 1927, May 13, p. 13.
📸 A young Doug Anthony, 1930s. Courtesy of Doug Anthony.
📸 The Speaker's room, with a bed folded out from the cupboard, 1927. Courtesy the National Archives of Australia, A3560, 3431.

19/05/2026

The Press Gallery tells the story of journalists, photographers, camera operators, editors and administrative staff who worked in the building and reported on Australia’s parliament.

Visit our new Press Gallery exhibition, now open.

Address

18 King George Terrace, Parkes
Canberra, ACT
2600

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://moadoph.gov.au/

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