Archaeology on the walls

The building render restoration and repainting project on the South-East Wing has revealed evidence of a long lost, but not mourned, part of the building.

We can see evidence of a much large opening having once existed where now there is a window. Is this the location of where a doorway once provided access to the ‘annex’? 

The annex is no longer there and all evidence of the doorway has been removed, plastered and painted over both internally and externally. The annex was a temporary, prefabricated building accessed via a bridge from the main floor of the South-East Wing. Added in 1985, it provided additional offices for members, and their staff, who had entered the House of Representatives in at the December 1984 elections.  The Representation Act 1983 legislated for an additional 12 Senators and 23 Members the House of Representatives. The number of Members increased from 125 to 148.  Accommodation was already tight so a fast, temporary, but comfortable solution needed to be found. It was intended to be able to be removed, once Parliament had moved to the new House in 1988. It was finally removed in 1999. Rumor has it that it is still being used as office accommodation.  If you know where, please let us know.

You can read more about the render restoration and repainting project here and here.