Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Royal Exhibition Building sits in the beautiful Carlton Gardens within my electorate of Melbourne and its history is firmly linked to the building we stand in today. The Royal Exhibition Building hosted the formal opening of the first parliament of Australia in 1901. Built by Dame Nellie Melba's father over 140 years ago for the Melbourne International Exhibition, the building and its grounds were a place where people came to ride gondolas on the lake, drink beer at the German beer kiosk or take a ride on a rollercoaster. In the early 1900s, during the Spanish flu, the Great Hall was turned into a makeshift hospital where thousands of patients were treated. More than a 100 years later the building was used to combat COVID-19 pandemic, acting as a vaccine hub. The building served as a training base for the RAAF in World War II, and in the 1950s it hosted events for the Melbourne Olympics.

In 2004 the Royal Exhibition Building was the first building in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status, even before the Sydney Opera House was internationally recognised. For about 100 years, the Dome Promenade and its 360-degree views were closed to the public. That is why I was thrilled to secure $20 million to conserve, restore and refurbish the building and the dome, which, as of late last year, are now open for tours and events. Thank you to the museum's Victoria team and the local friends of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens group, who worked with such passion to protect this historic and significant building.