Old Parliament House is a graceful addition to the Canberra landscape and an historical icon for the nation.
The fact that the ''wedding cake'' served as the seat of government for six decades should be sufficient to give the building a special status and ensure its preservation for future generations. Visitors can stand in Kings Hall where so much frantic lobbying used to occur over matters of state, go into the prime minister's office to be transported with thoughts of its former inhabitants and smell the leather in the old style chambers as they occupy the former places of the nation's lawmakers.
In this building, history-making decisions were taken, including entering World War II and the Vietnam War, and floating the Australian dollar. It would invite controversy to touch any part of it, especially without widespread public consultation.
It is surprising, therefore, to hear a former ACT development head describe the building as a ''load of junk''.
Furthermore, Tony Powell, commissioner of the National Capital Development Commission between 1974 and 1985, says the building lacks historical value and experienced no great historical events, with the exception of Gough Whitlam's dismissal. Mr Powell says a misguided commitment to heritage values means the building has been preserved despite its lackof real historical importance. No debates of any particular significance have taken place there, unlike similar buildings in the US, he says.
On behalf of the people of Canberra, and all Australians, we beg to differ. Great speeches were given in the chambers at Old Parliament House and momentous decisions were made in the Cabinet room. With its old world charm, the building is a window to a bygone era, when politics was played out in a more intimate setting and with vastly different technology, where the media relied on typewriters, not Twitter.
Whitlam intoned his famous phrase ''Well may we say 'God save the Queen' … '' about the governor-general from the steps of the building after he was sacked. The building led national mourning for the loss of Harold Holt and formed the backdrop for more than a dozen prime ministers, each with their own distinctive character traits.
Indeed, the building was the focal point for the entire political career of Sir Robert Menzies and heard speeches from John Curtin as war-time prime minister.
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