It was only a short drive from Gundagai to Canberra. You feel like you are going slowly uphill for a long time, this must be why it’s so cold here. The first few nights were around 2°C, we kept the heating on.
We are not members of G’day Rewards but decided to join, the senior’s rate is $40/2years. It will take about 10-14 days of discounts to recoup the membership fee. We don’t normally stay in these parks but you never know, this year is different and surely we will stay in another one of their parks in two years.
This park is just out of Canberra over the NSW border and a 20min drive back in. It has nice drive through sites, with bushes between for a little privacy.
In the afternoon we had a look at Parliament House from the outside. There is parking underneath and even a few spots for long vehicles like us. Even though we could have gone in, I wanted to book a tour, so saved going in for another day. The security men advised us to go up to the roof when we were there.
You can walk up a steep Mt Ainslie or drive up. Lindsay rarely walks if he can drive! It gives you a wonderful view right down to Parliament House. Being the Easter public holiday it was very busy and we only just got a car park.
Our tickets for the Heart of the House Parliament house tour were for 10:30am a couple of days later.
The colours of the House of Representatives are green the same as the English one but in the shade of a gum leaf. The Senate is red, the same as the House of Lords but the colours are when the gum leaves turn red, so more rustic than bright.
There were many submissions from around the world to build our new Parliament House as they had outgrown the old one. An Italian got the job. The building brief was that it had to melt into the environment, so from anywhere in Canberra you only really see the spire. There is more steel in the building than the Sydney Opera House. One of our group worked for the Geelong company that supplied all the steelworks.
The doors can all be opened in a line and you can see from one end to the other all the way to the War Museum. I asked if there was a bunker, ahh the bunker myth he said. I had no idea what he was talking about. I just thought it was sensible.
Could we still have the same system of Government if we became a Republic I ask – I can’t answer that he said. Our House of Representatives is based on the English system. Our Senate is not based on the House of Lords though but the US system. So there is a bit from here and there, we copy what works for us. I held my tongue on the preferential voting system which I think is unfair. I believe if the person you voted for doesn’t win, then that vote should be cast aside.
Portrait gallery – All the Prime Ministers have their portrait hanging in the gallery. Gough Whitlam had had his done prior to being in office, after he was sacked, he told them, you can have this one or none at all; they took it. It later won the Archibald prize. It is painted by the same artist that did Hugh Jackman hanging in the Portrait Gallery. All the portraits have the men in their suits, full bodied. Julia Gillard was always criticised for whatever she wore, so her portrait is from her neck up. One score for women.
The ratio of both sexes is more in balance than ever before. You wonder if they get the right people having quotas but even if they aren’t getting the right people now, eventually they will. It’s still a good idea. I think you would have to be really dedicated to the cause because women put up with a lot of crap in Parliament. No wonder not many want to go there. The men behave like children and are often rude, attacking personal attributes instead of issues. They need tutoring on keeping to the topic. The sessions are videoed and can be watched on selected TV stations. I’ve never watched one, not likely to either.
There are a set of books on the central table that have all that is said withing parliament. These are just for show as everything is now digital. They often go back and check what someone said as people’s memories become blurred, more often, to prove a point.
Parliament only sits for twenty weeks of the year starting from early February.
The view from the roof looks over Canberra. A few of the Federal police where there taking in the sunshine, I guess there isn’t much to do if everything is running smoothly. When Parliament is in session their numbers increase to thirty. They were saying that Labour Governments reduce their numbers and the Liberals increase them. I thought it would be the other way around.
Part of the roof has a large grass area. When we were a fair way out, I think near the Arboertum, it camouflaged the building, the only way you knew it was there was the spire.
After lunch we visited the Old Parliament House, there is limited one hour parking outside and we managed to snare a spot. It’s very small and smells like an old place. We were able to sit in the Senate but not the House of Reps as they are renovating it. We didn’t even stay the full hour. I think we were both politick out.
Luminosity Trails 