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The Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the place of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. However, the building began to get more crowded with passing years, and no number of extensions seemed to work. Lastly in 1978 the Fraser government decided to come up with a new building on Capital Hill, and the Parliament House, Canberra was conceived. The Parliament House, Canberra was designed by the US-based Italian architect Romaldo Giurgola, and came from a competition that drew 329 entries from 28 countries. The construction of the Parliament House, Canberra began in 1981, and was anticipated to be ready by January 1988. However, it was opened on 9th May 1988, and was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II, commemorating also the opening of the first Federal Parliament in Melbourne (9 May 1901), and of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra (9 May 1927). The Parliament House, Canberra was planned to "sit above" the Old Parliament House when seen from a distance, and the old building was conserved as it was. From above, the outline of the site is shaped like two boomerangs enclosed within a circle. The building is greatly hidden under Capital Hill, excluding the meeting chambers and accommodation for parliamentarians, which are free-standing contained within the boomerang-shaped arms. The Parliament House, Canberra was conceived to be freely open to the public. However, security has been tightened owing to the terrorist attacks of recent years. Yet, although there has been an erection of crash barriers blocking access, much of the building is still open to the public.
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