Parliament

I have an interest in government. When I travel I like to visit Houses of Parliament, embassies, castles, etc. A few times I have been able to get a "behind the scenes" tour, which I love! I've had a personal tour of the U.S. Capital from a friend who worked at the Senate. I've had a personal tour of Parliament in London from my "cousin" who worked there - thanks, Daniel! I've even had a personal tour of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) from a Member of Parliament, with whom I'd interviewed for an internship (I didn't take that particular internship, but LOVED my Knesset experience!). AND, thanks to Chris & Gretel, I've had personal tours of the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, and now the U.S. Consulate in Sydney!

So Tuesday afternoon, I headed for Parliament...

A little background info: Like the U.S., Australia is made up of different states. Sydney is in the state of New South Wales (NSW), and is the capital city of this state. Canberra is the capital city of Australia, so I didn't actually tour the Federal Capital, which is in Canberra, I toured the State Capital or Parliament of New South Wales.

Again, like the U.S., Australia has three main branches of government: legislative, executive and judiciary. The legislature in NSW is made up of two Houses: the Upper House or Legislative Council, and the Lower House or Legislative Assembly. I was able to visit these Council & Assembly rooms. Both are beautiful and impressive!

No, this time I didn't get the full "behind the scenes" tour. But I did spend some time talking with several Australians - staff and visitors - who educated me somewhat on the government of NSW, on the building itself, and a little on Australia's mining economy and it's relationship to China. Very interesting!

Pictured here are the Council Chamber, the Parliamentary Library (established in 1840, which makes it one of the oldest libraries in Australia with a continuous history), and the Assembly Chamber. The top picture shows the front of Parliament House, which was actually part of Sydney's first permanent hospital, completed in 1816.