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Parliament House

Features | Facilities and Function Rooms | Functions and Facilities Manual
Contacts

Opening Hours
The public areas of the building are open to the public Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 6pm.

Background and History
Parliament House, Darwin's premier building, is the first permanent residence of the Northern Territory Legislature. It forms part of State Square, which also includes the Supreme Court and Liberty Square, a turfed area that adjoins the Office of the Administrator and Government House.

The former Legislative Council, which was established in 1948, was housed in various temporary buildings around Darwin until 1955 when it moved to part of the bombed Post Office on the site of the present Parliament House.

The Legislative Assembly continued to occupy those buildings and adjacent Government office blocks until early 1990 when they were vacated to allow commencement of the construction of Parliament House. From 1990 to the end of 1994, the Assembly again occupied temporary accommodation in the Chan Building, which is adjacent to the ceremonial forecourt of the present building.

The foundation stone was laid by the then Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Honourable Nick Dondas, MLA, on 2 August 1990 and the building was officially opened by the then Governor-General of Australia, the Honourable Bill Hayden, AC, on 18 August 1994.

Meldrum Burrows, an architectural firm, was responsible for the design of the building. Numerous other individuals were also involved in the design and interior design, together with officers of the Department of Transport and Works. The design brief was set by the Speaker and Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and the Sessional Committee on the New Parliament House made recommendations and monitored the development of the building during its construction phase.

It is intended that Parliament House will serve the Northern Territory Legislature for 100 years and it was designed to address changing and increasing usage. It is a fully-occupied building and houses the offices of the Executive, the Department of the Legislative Assembly, offices for all Members, the Northern Territory Library and Parliamentary Counsel.

 

Parliament House Contacts:

Facilities and Function Rooms
Mrs Cheryl Owens
Office of the Speaker
Phone: (08) 8946 1433
Fax: (08) 8981 3284
Email: LA.Speaker@nt.gov.au

Building and Property Management Services
Mr Bill Fryar
A/g Director, Building Manager
Tel: (08) 8946 1410
Fax: (08) 8946 1444
Email: mark.wilton@nt.gov.au

Building Services
Mrs Joanne Burgess
Building Services Manager
Tel: (08) 8946 1523
Fax: (08) 8946 1444
Email: joanne.burgess@nt.gov.au

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