Canberra is the Oceanian capital home to Parliament House, which opened in 1988.
Australia’s Parliament House stands on Capital Hill in Canberra, at the centre of the National Triangle. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the building on 9 May 1988 during Australia’s bicentenary year. Its grass-covered roof was designed to make the building appear integrated with the hill, with a large Australian flag above the roofline.
The building replaced the smaller Provisional Parliament House, now called Old Parliament House, where Australia’s federal Parliament had met since 1927. Construction began in 1981 and produced a complex containing the Senate, House of Representatives, committee rooms and executive offices. Canberra is Australia’s purpose-built national capital, chosen as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne; Suva, Port Moresby and Wellington are capitals of other Pacific countries.