Historical Significance
The building's design and furnishings reflect in large part the taste of the first Colonial Secretary, Sir Henry Parkes.
The Executive Council Chamber (originally known as the Cabinet Room) was the venue for several meetings that led to Federation, including the Australasian Federal Convention of 1891. The room is very well preserved, with period furniture, paintings of a young Queen Victoria and James Cook, and bronzes of several British Prime Ministers including Palmerston. Some of the objects on display were acquired from the Sydney International Exhibition (1879).
Extensive restorations between 1988 and 2005 were performed with a degree of care that set new standards. It is open to the public; several historical displays interpret the building's history, and the glass lift shafts allow archaeological viewing of the construction.
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—Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre (b. 1929)