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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.

02/09/2026

Lilian Fowler made history as the first Australian woman to serve as a mayor.

📸 An official Portrait of Lilian Fowler taken by Sidney Riley Studio. Courtesy City of Sydney Archives

📸 Portrait of a young Lilian Fowler. Courtesy City of Sydney Archives

📸 Municipality of Newtown map, 1931. Courtesy State Library of New South Wales

📸 Mrs Fowler, Mayor of Newtown,1938. Courtesy State Library of New South Wales

📸 Council meeting, Pix Magazine, Vol. 1 No. 13 (23 April 1938). Courtesy National Library of Australia

📸 Mrs Lilian Fowler and her daughter Ena. Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. - 1872 - 1947), Thursday 9 December 1937, page 14. Courtesy National Library of Australia

📸 Mrs Lilian Fowler / Lemaire Studios. C1938. Courtesy State Library Victoria

📸 Article from the Sun (Sydney, NSW1910 - 1954), Wednesday 13 December 1939, page 6. Courtesy National Library of Australia

📸 Lilian Fowler and aldermen. Courtesy City of Sydney Archives

📸 Lilian Fowler and her granddaughter Pat, fixing a car. Courtesy City of Sydney Archives

01/09/2026

The World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983 was introduced to the House of Representatives on 21 April 1983 by Barry Cohen, Minister for the Environment in the newly elected Hawke Labor government. The Act provided protections for some of Australia’s most important natural and cultural heritage sites.

In partnership with , we're continuing to explore the legal moments that have shaped Australia's history.

📸 Butler Island in the Lower Gordon River, near the proposed site of the Gordon-Below-Franklin Dam. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A14471, 45
📸 Portrait of Barry Cohen, 1983. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A6180, 7/11/83/8
📸 Kakadu National Park, 1985. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A6135, K29/7/85/2
📸 Franklin River Blockade Banner Installation Tasmania Dec-March 1982-83. Courtesy National Museum of Australia
📸 Blockade leader Dr Bob Brown speaks to Tasmanians at a protest rally to stop the Gordon-below-Franklin Dam being built, 1983. Photo by Andrew de la Rue / Newspix
📸 Adoption of the World Heritage Convention in 1972 at UNESCO. Courtesy UNESCO
📸 The High Court from the Lakeside Hotel, 1983. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A6135, K4/2/83/16
📸 Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, 1996. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A6135, K24/4/96/2
📸 Sydney Opera House, 1974. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, A6135, K15/2/74/17

30/08/2026

It’s not every day you get to meet an astronaut. Last week we welcomed Dr Paul Scully-Power, the first Australian-born person in space. Paul, with Barry and Di Barnes and their family, visited to see the boomerang in our collection that he took into space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in October 1984.

A dual US-Australian citizen, Dr Scully-Power wanted to honour his Australian origins with a symbol of his country. He obtained the boomerang from Barry Barnes, then an Australian official posted in Washington. Barnes’ wife Di had purchased it from a gift shop at Sydney Airport in 1976.

A few months after the Shuttle came back to Earth, Prime Minister Bob Hawke made a visit to Washington where he was due to meet with US President Ronald Reagan. White House officials searched for an appropriate gift, and they selected this boomerang. Reagan presented it to Hawke on 7 February 1985.

The boomerang represents deep and varied aspects of the relationship between Australia and the US.

26/08/2026

Are you game to meet our ghosts?

Equipped with ghost-hunting tools, you'll explore Old Parliament House after dark searching for any supernatural sightings.

Book your spot on our Paranormal Investigations tour via the link: https://bit.ly/4wJQALf

25/08/2026

Some of our favourite architectural details at Old Parliament House 😍

📸 All photos by Andrew Merry

23/08/2026

First Nations readers are advised that this post contains names and images of people who have died.

The Wave Hill walk-off helped pave the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. This Act was the first Australian law recognising First Nations peoples claim for land rights.

In 2000, the Gurindji people, many of whom took part in the 1966 Wave Hill walk-off, created a series of 10 hand-painted textile banners to tell their version of the landmark event. You can see these banners on display in our exhibition Gurindji Freedom Banners: From the Darkness into the Light.

📸 Vincent Lingiari and Mick Rangiari [Happy Mick],1966. Courtesy National Archives of Australia F1, 1968/2735O

📸 Aerial view of Wave Hill Station, 1980. Courtesy National Archives of Australia A8598, AK6/5/80/13

📸 First Nations stockmen at Wave Hill cattle station,1952. Courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy ACP Magazines Ltd.

📸 The Gurindji strikers at Wattie Creek led by Vincent Lingiari in 1967. (Source: Brian Manning)

📸 Vincent Lingiari at his house, Gurindji Camp, Wattie Creek. Courtesy National Archives of Australia F1, 1968/2735N

📸 Vincent Lingiari's house under construction with store in background. Courtesy National Archives of Australia, F1, 1968/2735A 60184836

📸 Then-prime minister Gough Whitlam pouring sand into the palm of Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari at Wave Hill Station, 1975. Image by Mervyn Bishop. Courtesy National Archives of Australia.

19/08/2026

Crossbench, frontbench, backbench - what’s with all the benches?

18/08/2026

A few things from the ’80s that might take you right back. ❤️ What else do you remember?

16/08/2026

📆 Friday 21 August | 4pm to 9pm

Join us for a cosy winter edition of Friday Night Drinks in our iconic Members’ Bar. Warm up with a glass of mulled wine or choose from our curated selection of wines, seasonal cocktails, charcuterie platters and more.

📍The Members’ Bar (Please access via the white footbridges at the rear of Old Parliament House on Queen Victoria Terrace)

No bookings required. Walk-ins only.

13/08/2026

Tell us, what’s on your office walls?

📸 Slide 4: ABC Bureau, 1985. Photograph by Lori Anglin, Tanner and Associates. Museum of Australian Democracy Collection.

📸 Slide 6: Canberra Times (ACT - 1926 - 1995), Friday 22 February 1980, page 8. Courtesy National Library of Australia

📸 Slide 7: Nine Network TV Studio, 1985. Photograph by Lori Anglin, Tanner and Associates. Museum of Australian Democracy Collection.

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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