Looking back over it's predecessor towards the War Memorial, the view was impressive, expansive, and something that probably wouldn't have been possible had they decided to leave the legislature in downtown Melbourne or Sydney.
Now, from what I can recall, not that I was paying a great deal of attention at the time, when the construction process that resulted in the current structure was kicking off there was a degree of controversy involved, particularly over cost blow outs, which I've seen quoted as quintupling the original $200 million budget, but if you're after something that stands out you need vision, and a willingness to spend if necessary.
There's no doubt that the resulting structure, dominating Capital Hill as it does and drawing the eye from a number of nearby locations, stands out, and if the visitor takes a stroll through Old Parliament House the contrast, as far as the public spaces are concerned, is close to immeasurable. It's an imposing structure with substantial public space, and something that would have been done quite differently had the penny-pinchers been allowed to have their way in a post 9/11 setting.
Recently there's been quite a deal of discussion about the decline of the democratic process, the manipulation of the news cycle, and similar issues, and one can't help suspecting that some of today's critics are looking back to the halcyon days of the Old Parliament House rabbit warren, where it was virtually impossible for the Government to maintain a veil of secrecy about internal matters. More...
