Parliament House of Victoria

Kicking off our walking tour on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House sets the scene for providing a brief overview of government in Australia and Victoria. You will hear about the remarkable politicians, famous and infamous, who have left their mark on this place. Construction of the building started in 1856 and has never been completed. Following Federation, it was home to the Federal Commonwealth Parliament from 1901 to 1927, until Canberra was built. Architects Peter Kerr and John Knight were respectively responsible for the original design and construction.

Great Petition Sculpture

'Great Petition' constitutes a contemporary interpretation of the Monster Petition – a petition with more than 30,000 signatures presented to Parliament in 1891 as evidence of the widespread support to give women Victorians voting rights. Female suffrage was finally granted in 1908 with the passage of the Adult Suffrage Act. Hear the story of the designers and the history of women’s suffrage in Australia