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Art and Politics Tour

A person showing a portrait to a family of three
A person showing a portrait to a family of three

Overview

Come face to face with past Prime Ministers, Presidents of the Senate, and Speakers of the House of Representatives. See the historic artwork charting the history of Australia’s national Parliament on a guided tour of key works from the Historic Memorials Collection.

The collection is Australia's longest-running art commissioning program and is a unique record of the intersection of art and politics. Discover insights into Australia’s political leaders and artists and explore changes in the history of portraiture in Australia.

You will see well-known portraits, including Vincent Fantuzzo’s portrait of Julia Gillard, Ivor Hele's portrait of Robert Menzies, Clifton Pugh’s portrait of Gough Whitlam, and William Dargie's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Bookings are essential.

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating

TripAdvisor ratingBased on 3924 reviews

“Great educational tour!!”

TripAdvisor ratingReviewed 1d ago by Aviation C

Great experience looking at the different chambers and their descriptions. Sadly, we didn't see the PM in a meeting, but the tour was awesome. Got to actually sit in the visitors chairs. Awesome!!

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“Democracy in Action”

TripAdvisor ratingReviewed 1w ago by Meander27316596006

Parliament House is a great place to visit to learn about Australian democracy. There is a huge area where you can freely walk around. The Lego model is great (shoutout to Brickman). Before you go...

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“The thread of my Australian life”

TripAdvisor ratingReviewed 1w ago by Boyu Z

5 times been here. 2022 mid - Outside - A city tour provided by ANU. 2022 mid - Inside - The first time moved to Canberra From China. The Aussie friend I met in the airplane came to Canberra and...

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Tour Formats
  • On-site Experience
  • Welcomes and assists people who have challenges with learning, communication, understanding and behaviour. (includes people with autism, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, acquired brain injury (ABI), dyslexia and dementia)
  • Caters for people who are blind or have vision loss.
  • Caters for people who are deaf or have hearing loss.
  • Caters for people with sufficient mobility to climb a few steps but who would benefit from fixtures to aid balance. (This includes people using walking frames and mobility aids)
  • Caters for people who use a wheelchair.
  • Caters for people with high support needs who travel with a support person.
  • Caters for people with allergies and intolerances.

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