New Parliament House was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on May 9, 1988.
The building’s opening occurred during Australia’s bicentenary year. Construction of the new Parliament House began in 1981, at the initiative of the Fraser government.
The building replaced the provisional Parliament House which was opened by the Queen’s father, the Duke of York and later King George VI, in 1927, also on May 9.
Earlier, the first sitting of the Commonwealth Parliament took place on May 9, 1901, in Melbourne.
These are some videos of the opening ceremony. They formed part of the ABC’s live broadcast of the occasion:
- Former minister in the Whitlam government, Fred Daly, is interviewed about the new Parliament House:
- The Queen arrives for the opening and ceremonially unlocks the doors to new Parliament House:
- Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s speech:
- Opposition Leader John Howard’s speech:
- The Queen officially opens Parliament House:
- Speeches from the House Speaker, Joan Child, and the Senate President, Kerry Sibraa. The Queen meets official guests and then departs:
