Statement of values

This desk side cabinet is a significant item in the collection through its association with a number of the Prime Ministers, and with the Prime Minister’s suite itself which was a focus of government activity and authority. It is also significant in representing a change of style in furnishing the prime minister’s suite.

This desk side cabinet is significant through its association with the extensions to the Provisional Parliament House, in particular the Prime Minister’s suite. Additions to the original collection, such as this cabinet, are significant in documenting important stages in the adaptation of the building to meet the ever increasing demands of accommodating more Members and their staff, a process which continued until the relocation of the Australian Parliament in 1988. Significantly, the extensive modifications to the building arose from combining the functions of the executive arm of government and the legislative function in the one building. This table was used in the Prime Minister’s suite between the 1970’s and 1988, associating it with three important political people in Australian history: Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke.

This desk side cabinet is significant as a component of the Heritage Collection, which comprises those pieces of furniture which were used in the Provisional Parliament House between 1924 and 1988. The collection has associations with the process of government, the ceremonial, administrative, promotional and recreational functions conducted within the building, and with the individuals who governed Australia between 1927 and 1988. The Old Parliament House building has a richness of internal fabric and collections that convey the way in which parliamentary functions were conducted, the everyday use of the building, and the hierarchical nature of parliamentary staffing practices.