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Articles tagged with: events
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More than just pretty lights: the stories behind this year's Enlighten projections
During the 2018 Enlighten Festival, seven spectacular animated illuminations will dance across the front of our building, but they’re more than just pretty lights… here are the stories behind the artwork and the values they represent.
A Horse’s Tale: Bill, Bertie and Bairnsdale 303
Horses were a vital part of the Parliament House opening ceremonies. What did they make of all the fuss? Three photographs of Bill, the horse ridden in Canberra by the Duke of York, provide a fresh insight into the day’s events.
The Thieving Diva: Behind the scenes of the opening ceremony at Parliament House
Hilda Abbott was a distinguished guest whose recollections reveal that behind the public performance, VIPs are only people after all.
Flags, snags and bags: Putting the finishing touches on the opening of Parliament House
It took determination, ingenuity and a small piece of string to get Parliament House finished in time for its grand opening in 1927.
Donald Grant – from gaoled Wobbly to elected Senator
Of the twelve members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) sentenced in Sydney in 1916 to five to 15 years’ gaol for conspiracy, none is more fascinating than Donald MacLellan Grant.
An Australian guide to American elections
With Americans set to vote this week, most Australians would not have missed that the USA is facing a presidential election. But you might not know how things are different to Australian elections, or what the system entails. Researcher Campbell explains how American elections work, and how they compare to Australian elections.
The one that got away: the last time a government lost a vote in the House of Representatives
The government just lost a vote in the House of Representatives for the first time since 1962. Researcher Campbell explores what that means and what happened all those decades ago.
Deakin’s Great White Gamble
On this day 108 years ago, a prime minister took a stand and invited some warships to visit Australia. Did he realise at the time what a monumental impact he would have on Australia’s place in the world?
National Reconciliation Week in PLAY UP
Last week we welcomed early learners and their parents to PLAY UP for a special National Reconciliation Week event introducing museum items and activities to this small but mighty audience.
Wearing your politics
Every election you see people out in force wearing t-shirts to reflect their political colours and support their candidate of choice. Our researcher Campbell shows off some of the t-shirts in the museum collection and why they matter to our democracy.
WW1 history illuminated on Old Parliament House
Pause at Old Parliament House after dark during Enlighten this weekend and you may see an expanse of somber, sepia-toned faces staring back at you.
Bunnies and aliens...stunning and vibrant, but what do they mean?
Wondering what the Old Parliament House Enlighten 2016 projections mean? This handy guide gives you the low-down on the Old Parliament House Enlighten projections and what they signify.
Magna Carta’s 800th – looking back on 2015
The octocentenary of Magna Carta was a huge success internationally and in Australia in terms of promotion of the event and discussion of Magna Carta’s enduring significance as a ‘charter of liberties’.
Launching Behind the Lines exhibition 2015
As the curtain-raiser to the 2015 Behind the Lines exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, three accomplished political cartooning practitioners explained how they decide who and what to draw, and what to avoid.
Inclusion matters
The theme of this year’s International Day of People with a Disability is “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities”.
So ends the #Dismissal1975 project
Since 13 October the museum has been running its Twitter project, #Dismissal1975, to commemorate the Whitlam sacking.
United Nations – 70 years
The United Nations organisation established 70 years ago in 1945 had 51 member states. Today, there are close to 200. Nearly every nation on the planet.
Forty years since the Dismissal
As a student of politics and later as a political journalist, the Dismissal was a constant reference point – an Australian moment that has attracted, perhaps, more scholarship, journalism and cultural reflection than just about any other.
Celebrating NAIDOC Week with two generations of Indigenous art
NAIDOC Week gives us an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.
