Two elections to watch this weekend
Election watchers have been busy this year. France went to the polls in April and May, and the UK in June. This weekend there are two elections to watch out for: New Zealand and Germany.
Latest articles
What did our early PMs sound like?
We know a lot about what our early prime ministers were like. There are plenty of photos of them throughout their lives, and biographies record their personalities, appearance, quirks, habits, and even their tastes in food, literature or music. But we don’t know much about how they sounded.
Isobel and the koala
Nearly 60 years ago a young Scottish immigrant, Isobel Saxelby, was given a toy koala, a symbol of a new life and her new home in Australia. It remained a treasured possession until ‘Kookie’, as Isobel called it, found a new home in the museum.
8 hard-won rights for LGBTI Australians
Here are some of the historical rights won by LGBTI activists fighting for their place in Australia’s society.
Red, White and Blue: The Australian Flag
Did you know the Australian flag has only been official since the 1950s? And that the most common version for a long time was red, not blue? This National Flag Day, we have some more facts to share about the big blue banner.
Arthur Calwell and the gift of immigration
Arthur Calwell was Australia’s Minister for Immigration, responsible for the large wave of post-Second World War migrants who drastically changed the makeup of Australia’s population.
A voice from the past
This speech by Stanley Melbourne Bruce has recently come into the Museum’s collection. We were very excited to hear it, as none of us had ever heard Bruce’s voice before!
Free votes: a quick explainer
Sometimes Members of Parliament are granted a ‘free vote’, or a ‘conscience vote’ on issues. But what does that mean? Why can’t they always vote however they like? Researcher Campbell has dug up the facts.
Be Spoken To: re-mixing words from Old Parliament House
Guess what happened when an artist and a poet got cheeky with some beautiful hand-lettered timber signage?
How often should we have an election – every three years or every four?
Does it ever feel like we’ve just got over the last election before the next one looms? This week, yet again, there is talk of replacing three year parliamentary terms with four. Would it be better? Here’s the low down.
Who would you pick to hang out with?
Which of the first 8 PMs would you most like to hang out with? Here are some little known insights that might help you decide.
Dual citizenship and other no nos that will give you the boot
There are a number of factors that will make you ineligible for parliament… we’ve collated a handy list.
Can Electric Girl and friends save the world?
With their newfound hero personas, our superheroes embarked on an adventure-filled mission around the Museum. Can they save the world?
The journey of an object: Neville Bonner bark painting
What does it take to accept, care for, prepare and display a museum object? The journey of Neville Bonner’s bark painting from Palm Island to exhibition at the museum is a fascinating one.
Kishi and Friends
Just twelve years after the end of the Second World War Australia conferred ‘most-favoured nation’ with regard to tariffs on its former enemy, Japan.
Here are Ash's top picks from our latest exhibition
Come into the storeroom with Ashley Tenison, our collection object-whisperer, as she shows us her top picks from our latest exhibition, Finders Keepers.
Five favourite things
‘I couldn’t possibly!’ Curators were hard pressed to pick a favourite object from the diverse and surprising personal collections in our new exhibition Finders Keepers.
Better Shelter and the CEO Sleepout
Museums are not just about objects and visitor numbers; they’re about social outcomes that make our cultures and communities better for all. It is for this reason that we were thrilled to host last night’s Canberra/Goulburn St Vinnie’s CEO Sleepout.
Tosspot to Bodgie: Seven Prime Ministerial nicknames
What are some of the most notable and curious nicknames for Australia’s prime ministers? This blog post explores the unusual epithets given to our leaders, from Tosspot Toby to the Silver Bodgie.
The right to a ‘castle’
This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of Australia’s iconic feature films: ‘The Castle’. It‘s a comedy with a message.
