Throughout the tour, our students explored a number of significant spaces within Parliament House, including the old upper house room, the current chamber of the lower house, the members’ reading room — with years upon years of documented activity within parliament, as well as exploring the historical architecture of the original building and learning about when the new building was constructed and added as an extension. 

In the members’ reading room, students learned how members of Parliament once sourced reference materials for writing speeches — compared to how they access information today from the well-resourced lamp. The teens were fascinated by how these processes have evolved, blending the traditions of the past with modern digital research tools.

We also learned the fascinating origin of the word “Hansard”, discovering that it is named after the Hansard family — specifically Luke Hansard, who first took on the responsibility of official parliamentary reporting. It was a wonderful reminder of how much history is embedded in the everyday workings of Parliament.