Canberra

Pronounced “can-bra”, Canberra is a compromise capital (in between Sydney and Melbourne), much like Ottawa and Washington, DC. The highlight of a visit to the capital is the new parliament house finished in 1988 with its delightfully democratic symbolism (including visitors being able to stand on the roof and “look down” at their leaders).

We enjoyed question period, but unfortunately Prime Minister John Howard was in Canada chumming around with Stephen Harper. Instead we were treated to the antics of the two most senior ministers in the Howard government, aptly named Abbott and Costello.

The new parliament building includes a viewing area for school children with soundproof glass to keep out rowdy, rude and obnoxious behaviour. Unfortunately, they put the one-way speakers in the wrong way so the children can still hear the parliamentarians.

The most interesting (well, to Political Science students anyway) thing about the Australian parliament is a senate elected by proportional representation. Impacts on government include the election of senators from less-established parties (such as the Green Party) and the unlikelihood of the same party having a majority in the house and the senate means political parties must learn to compromise in order to pass legislation through both houses. Unfortunately there is currently a majority in both houses for the Liberal-National coalition and they are able to pass immigration and employment laws that are getting the United Nations on their case, but don’t get us started on that…

On a nicer note, the man-made Lake Burley-Griffin is a lovely place for a bike ride. We noted with delight that the cost to rent a bike for the day in Canberra is equivalent to what we paid for the bikes!