Hours of operation – tours
Tours commence at 9:30 am with the last tour finishing at 2:45 pm. All education tours must be pre-booked via the online booking system.
Finding Parliament House
Parliament House is located at 4 Harvest Terrace, West Perth WA 6005. The building and its grounds are bound by Hay Street, the Mitchell Freeway, Malcolm Street and Harvest Terrace.
Tour options
Tours are held every weekday but the format changes depending on whether Parliament is sitting at the time of the tour.
Sitting day tours
Students will tour Parliament House and may have the opportunity to observe Parliament at work from the public galleries of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly chambers.
Non-sitting day tours
Students will tour Parliament House and undertake an activity called ‘Voting with Your Feet’, where students learn about voting during a division in Parliament. This activity is appropriate for students of all literacy levels”.
Meet your local member
While on tour, students may have the opportunity to meet with their local members of Parliament. The Parliamentary Education Office advises your members of the Legislative Council and member of the Legislative Assembly of your school’s intended visit. While members are keen to meet with students, their ability to do so depends on their commitments in Parliament.
Members are more likely to be able to meet with students on a sitting day when they are at Parliament House.
Your local member in the Legislative Assembly hosts the visit, and provides students with a memento of their visit during the tour.
Tour guidelines
Parliament has prepared tour guidelines for education groups visiting Parliament House. This includes information about what students will see and learn about, meeting the local member(s), bus parking, photography, accessible facilities and Parliament’s bag policy. The guidelines also include the Supervision and Evacuation Guidelines and the Certificate of Currency.
Disability access
A ramp at the front of Parliament House may be used for wheelchair access and a lift provides access to the first and second floors, with a wheelchair lift located on the northern staircase on the second floor west wing providing access to the Library.
A Universal Access Toilet is available on the first floor, off the Lee-Steere foyer.
Further information for those with access constraints is available by reading Access to Parliament House.
Security
To ensure Parliament remains safe and accessible for visitors and building occupants, Parliament has implemented a range of security procedures.
CCTV cameras, alarms and other security measures are in place within the parliamentary precinct.
All visitors to Parliament House are required to pass through security checkpoints before entering the building. This process involves scanning both persons and bags. Visitors with pacemakers and other medical prostheses should advise security.
Security access cards
Visitors issued a Security access card must display it at all times.
Requirements
No bags or backpacks
No food or drink
No water bottles
No photography
No workbooks or pens or pencils*
No prohibited items**
Bags containing medical equipment, including epipens, are permitted
*Special needs students may bring the Information for education support teachers and students picture book to Parliament House.
**Examples of prohibited items include sharp items (knives, scissors, cutlery, screwdrivers); spray paint; items that make a noise (whistles); banners, placards and flags; and liquids.
Support resources
Parliamentary Education has developed two information booklets to prepare students with special needs for their visit to, and tour of, Parliament:
- Information for education support teachers and students – a picture book to familiarise students with what they will see at Parliament House
- Vocabulary used during tours – to familiarise students with some of the words they may hear on the tour
An exemption applies for special needs students to bring the picture book to Parliament House.
Getting to Parliament House
Private bus transport
There are two bus layover bays adjacent to Parliament House at the southern end of Harvest Terrace. Additional layover bays are available at the Constitutional Centre on the corner of Havelock St and Parliament Place (350 metres from Parliament House). Bus parking is available in Kings Park.
Groups with special access requirements should contact Parliament House on 9222 7222 or, for educational tour groups, the Parliamentary Education Office on 9222 7259 ahead of their visit to discuss arrangements.
Public transport
The free CAT Bus service is available to and from Parliament. The Red CAT travels to Parliament House along Hay Street and the Green CAT travels along St Georges Terrace to Malcolm Street.
Returning buses can be accessed from Malcolm Street for the Green CAT bus and Murray Street for the Red CAT bus.
Driving and parking at Parliament House
Travelling north along the Kwinana Freeway, exit at Hay Street and turn left onto Harvest Terrace. Travelling south along the Mitchell Freeway, exit at James and Wellington Streets. Continue across Wellington Street, up Elder Street to Hay Street, turning right into Hay Street travelling across the traffic bridge and left into Harvest Terrace. Limited public parking is available within the grounds of Parliament House. One-hour metered parking is available in Parliament Place.
Walking to Parliament House
Parliament is located on the outskirts of the city centre, though still in the central business district. The most direct route is to walk west along St Georges Terrace or west along Hay Street. It is up a slight hill and takes approximately fifteen minutes to walk the two kilometres from the city centre.