Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to provide the House with an update on construction work that will begin soon on the House of Representatives' entrance here at Parliament House. Members will recall that a program of capital works to strengthen the perimeter security of Parliament House is being undertaken in response to the heightened threat environment. This work, of course, was agreed to by both houses in December of last year.

This work will cause significant disruption and affect access to the building at various times in the coming months, and so today I wanted to remind you of the impacts that will be felt in the next few weeks, including during the two upcoming October sitting weeks. Work on the House of Representatives entrance will begin on 18 September. This will involve work on the perimeter fence and the construction of a temporary entrance adjacent to the existing House of Representatives entrance.

The main impact you will notice during this early part of the work is there will be no vehicle access to the House of Representatives slip-road, including during the upcoming two October sitting weeks. To remind members: the slip-road is the road used by Comcar to drop members at the House of Representatives entrance. Comcar drop-offs and pick-ups for members will still be available on the House of Representatives side, in the members car park and on Parliament Drive. Members may also choose to use the slip-road on the Senate side of the building, which will be operating. You should contact the Sergeant-at-Arms' office if you have any questions about the arrangements.

The existing House of Representatives entrance will remain open for the time being; however, the media doorstop area on the House of Representatives side will be temporarily relocated to a House of Representatives courtyard. Members will be provided with a map indicating the location before the beginning of the next sitting fortnight.

The members and House of Representatives car parks will remain open, and access to the building will remain normal until mid-December via the internal stairs and car park lift as well as via the Parliament Drive stairs. From mid-December until late March 2018, the House of Representatives entrance and car park lift will be closed. Access to the building from all levels of the car parks will be by way of stairs and a walkway leading to the temporary entrance. The slip-road will be open for Comcar drop-offs and pick-ups at this time. At a later date, the Department of Parliamentary Services will provide further advice on access arrangements, including for users of disabled car spaces. The Parliament House entrance at the public entry and the ministerial wing will operate as normal.

I acknowledge this work is going to have an impact on us all. I ask members and their staff to be patient and courteous with the parliamentary officials who are there to assist them, and to prepare in advance for travelling to and from the building so that disruption and inconvenience is kept to a minimum. I thank all members for their understanding as this important work to improve the physical security of Parliament House is undertaken. I thank the House.