Public Gallery

The President’s main role is to preside over the House while it is in session. While the House is sitting, the President will:

• Maintain order
• Allocate the call (whose turn it is to speak)
• Adjudicates on points of order

Along with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the President is one of the two Presiding Officers of Parliament, and has responsibility for certain administrative/policy decisions in parliament

The Clerks of the department sit at the table in the center of the Chamber and provide procedural support to the Members.

The Clerks produce the official minutes of the Council, and will advise Members on things such as the Standing Orders.

The Usher of the Black Rod is responsible for the security of the Chamber as well as performing ceremonial duties. At the beginning of each sitting day, the Usher of the Black Rod will ‘stamp in’ and announce the President to the Council.

The Black Rod itself is made of Fiddleback Blackwood & gilded sterling silver and has a sovereign coin embedded in its base. It is placed on the table when the Chamber is in session, with the crown pointing towards the chair.

The chair located behind the President, under the canopy is known as the Vice-Regal Chair, and only the King or the Governor can sit in it.

This is used every 4 years for the opening of Parliament.

The only time a reigning monarch has sat in this chair was in 1954, when Queen Elizabeth opened Parliament. A photo of this event is on display in the Vestibule.

The canopy that sits behind the Vice-Regal chair was a gift from the United Kingdom Government, and includes:

• The shells representing the openness of Parliament,
• The glow of the lights representing the enlightenment of Parliament
• The Lion (strength) representing England
• The Unicorn (purity) representing Scotland

The eight angels across the top of the Chamber are:

• Statecraft – scales
• Mercy – sheathing a sword
• Architecture – open ledger, ruler, compass & protractor
• Fame or Glory – trumpet of fame
• Wisdom – helmet with shield & sword
• Unity – with an unbroken chain. This was renamed from Liberty, as the chain was originally unbroken. The chain was ‘fixed’ when the federal parliament moved out of the building in 1927
• History – holding a book & pen
• Plenty – holding a cornucopia & sprinkling gold dust.
  
  

The Eagles at each end of the Chamber are believed to represent either the German House of Hanover or Saxe-Coburg.

Queen Victoria was a descendent of the House of Hanover, and her husband, Prince Albert was from the House of Saxe-Coburg