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150 years of Parliament in QueenslandPrint Page 
24-September-2018 (Russell Byers)
Photographs supplied by John Huth / Russell Byers
Speakers Corner was established to celebrate 150 years of Parliament in Queensland.
On 6 June 1859, Queen Victoria approved the creation of a new colony to be called Queensland. On 10 December of the same year, Sir George Ferguson Bowen arrived in Brisbane as the new colony's Governor and officially proclaimed the Colony of Queensland.
Brisbane at this time was a small settlement of fewer than 6000 people. It is now Queensland's capital city. There was one newspaper, the Moreton Bay Courier. Amenities such as a satisfactory water supply, drainage and sewerage were lacking. In fact, water supply was sourced from ponds near Roma Street and sanitation was mainly by cesspools.
Roads were unpaved and street lighting did not exist. Issues such as drainage, health, sanitation and building design were recurring topics in the early days of the colony. It was in this environment that several of Queensland's most prestigious buildings, including Parliament House, were constructed.
From December 1859 to April 1860, Queensland was governed by an interim Executive Council. Electoral rolls were prepared and the first election was held between April and May 1860 for 26 Members from the 16 electorates established for the first Legislative Assembly. In addition, 11 men were appointed to the Upper House, the Legislative Council, for terms of five years. Later appointments were for life.
The Queensland Parliament met for the first time on 22 May 1860, the anniversary of Captain Cook's charting of Moreton Bay, in the old convict barracks in Queen Street, roughly opposite the current Myer Centre.
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On 6 June 1859, Queen Victoria approved the creation of a new colony to be called Queensland. On 10 December of the same year, Sir George Ferguson Bowen arrived in Brisbane as the new colony's Governor and officially proclaimed the Colony of Queensland.
Brisbane at this time was a small settlement of fewer than 6000 people. It is now Queensland's capital city. There was one newspaper, the Moreton Bay Courier. Amenities such as a satisfactory water supply, drainage and sewerage were lacking. In fact, water supply was sourced from ponds near Roma Street and sanitation was mainly by cesspools.
Roads were unpaved and street lighting did not exist. Issues such as drainage, health, sanitation and building design were recurring topics in the early days of the colony. It was in this environment that several of Queensland's most prestigious buildings, including Parliament House, were constructed.
From December 1859 to April 1860, Queensland was governed by an interim Executive Council. Electoral rolls were prepared and the first election was held between April and May 1860 for 26 Members from the 16 electorates established for the first Legislative Assembly. In addition, 11 men were appointed to the Upper House, the Legislative Council, for terms of five years. Later appointments were for life.
The Queensland Parliament met for the first time on 22 May 1860, the anniversary of Captain Cook's charting of Moreton Bay, in the old convict barracks in Queen Street, roughly opposite the current Myer Centre.
Location
| Address: | George Street, Queensland Parliament, Brisbane, 4000 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -27.474959 Long: 153.027304 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Government |
| Sub-Theme: | State |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 22-May-1860 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 22-May-2010 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 22nd May, 2010 |
|---|
Front Inscription
Source: MACelebrating 150 years of Parliament in Queensland
Speakers` Corner
Dedicated by the Honourable John Mickel MP Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
22 May 2010
"I would urge on honourable members mutual forbearance and self-control, and the necessity of not taking exception to words and expressions which might bear a very different interpretation to that which at the time they might be disposed to attach to them."
The Honourable Gilbert Eliott CMG MLA first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
(From Speaker Eliott`s first speech deliver on 22 May 1860)
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au
