Free school holiday event
Peek behind the sandstone walls and get a kid's eye view of what Parliament is all about.
This event is suitable for young people aged 5 - 12 and their carers. Adults must stay with their children for the event.
Date: Check back closer to the next school holidays for upcoming dates
Free Community Group Tours
Community groups are always welcome to visit, whether for a booked tour on a non-sitting day or to watch from the public galleries on a sitting day.
Parliament is where representatives speak on behalf of their constituents and debate issues which affect the lives of all Tasmanians.
Whenever Parliament is sitting, the public galleries of both Houses are open for anyone to watch their Members at work. No bookings are required.
When Parliament isn't sitting, Committees made of small groups of Members meet to investigate and hear from the public on particular issues. These Committees often hold public hearings, where the public can attend and listen to the information being shared.
Upcoming hearings for a particular issue can be found on the relevant Committee's page, including any regional hearings that may be occurring around the state close to the impacted communities. A list of upcoming hearings at Parliament House can be found under Broadcasts.
More information about the order of business within the House can be found in the Standing Orders.
Proceedings may pause to enable members to attend briefings. More information may be found in the Standing Orders and Sessional Orders.
The Council also very briefly meets on selected Fridays, generally for the period between 9.30 and 9.40am, for procedural reasons.
Both Houses publish an indicative plan for the day in the morning before they start, called an Order of Business.
The House of Assembly's is published at approximately 9.45am, and can be found under "Order of Business" on the relevant date. The Legislative Council's is typically available around 10.20am, and can be found under "Order of Business" on the relevant date.
However, it can be difficult to predict when in the day particular debates will happen. Business not listed on the Order can also be brought forward. If you're interested in a particular piece of business, consider checking the broadcast.
Government Business is the work brought forward by Government Ministers.
Private Members' Business is any work put forward by Opposition, minor party, Independent or Government backbench Members.
In the House of Assembly, Government Business is debated on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with most of Wednesday devoted to Private Members' Business
In the Legislative Council, Government Business is debated on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Private Members' Business occurs on Tuesday.
There are resources available for visitors to use in the House of Assembly and Legislative Council Public Galleries. Additionally, our reception team are happy to answer questions.
If you can, come back on another day for a tour and discuss the Parliament's work in more detail.
See below for links to resources about following the Parliament's work, or explore our educational resources.
Entrance to Parliament House is via the central green door under the flags, facing towards the Parliamentary Gardens.
Visitors are required to go through security screening and sign in. Our reception and security staff will then be able to show you to the Public Galleries. Large bags and banners can not be taken into the Galleries, but can be left with our security team.
During busy periods, such as immediately prior to Parliament sitting, there can be delays, so please allow time for these processes.
Bookings are not taken for the Public Galleries.
Parliament House is located near the waterfront, between Murray Street and Salamanca Place.
There is no visitor parking at Parliament House. Information about nearby parking can be found on the Hobart City Council website.
Buses servicing regions south of Hobart stop on Macquarie Street behind Parliament House. Most other services stop at the Franklin Square and Elizabeth Bus Mall interchanges, located a few blocks away. For more detailed information, see Metro Tasmania.
A taxi rank is located on Castray Esplanade, across the Parliamentary Gardens.
Parliament Square is the building behind Parliament House. Many Ministers have their offices there and it can be worth checking if your meeting is scheduled for Parliament House or Parliament Square.
Parliament Square is accessed from Salamanca Place.
Join a Free Tour
10.30am and 2.00pm; Monday-Friday, except days Parliament is sitting
Democracy works best when people understand and are engaged in its processes. Tours of Parliament House are free and available to everyone.
Explore this fine Georgian building while learning about the role of Parliament and how to get involved in its work.
Parliament House was originally intended to be a Customs House and its convict-built basements tell the story of these origins.
As the use of the building changed and Tasmania's democratic system expanded with a bicameral Parliament, beautiful early Victorian and later art deco moderne spaces were added. These spaces connect to wider changes in Tasmania.
As the Parliament's current and active home, Parliament House provides a unique insight into Tasmania's democracy and how members of the public can be engaged with topics of importance to their lives.The only way to explore Parliament House is to join a guided tour. The tour takes around one hour.
Tours are held on weekdays at 10.30am and 2.00pm when Parliament isn't sitting. This can be checked using this schedule.
We encourage making a booking by contacting tours@parliament.tas.gov.au or calling Reception on (03) 6212 2200 to ensure availability. Bookings are mandatory for groups of more than 12.
Information for schools and home education groups is available here or by contacting the Education Office on (03) 6212 2275.
Community groups are always welcome to visit the Parliament, whether for a tour on a non-sitting day or to watch from the public galleries on a sitting day.
So that we can best support your visit, please contact tours@parliament.tas.gov.au or call (03) 6212 2200 to arrange a tour at a mutually suitable time. Please note, tour bookings are mandatory for groups of more than 12.
While bookings are not taken for the public galleries, we are happy to be contacted if interested in attending as a group so that we can assist your visit.
Tours and the public galleriesare free for community groups.
Our guides will endeavour to ensure all visitors are able to access all parts of the tour. All areas visited on the tour can be accessed by lift. There are opportunities to sit down throughout the tour.
If you may require some extra assistance with moving around the building or would like more information, please feel free to get in touch and we can discuss how we can best help you.
Ph: (03) 6212 2200
Email: tours@parliament.tas.gov.au
Typical tours visit the first meeting place of the House of Assembly, known as the Long Room, the current House of Assembly Chamber, the Legislative Council Chamber and the Parliamentary Museum.
On rare occasions, other parliamentary business may preclude visiting certain spaces. Your guide will ensure you still see as much as possible.
We have a photographic record of all but one of the Members of the Parliament since 1856 on display and this can be viewed as part of the tour.
When making your booking, you are welcome to let us know if you have an interest in a particular Member and we may be able to point out any additional mementoes of their time in Parliament.
The Parliamentary Library can also assist with more in depth research queries:
Ph: (03) 6212 2244
Parliament House is located near the waterfront between Salamanca Place and Murray Street. There is no onsite parking, but there is parking nearby.
Entrance to Parliament House is via the central green door facing towards the Parliamentary Gardens.
Visitors are required to go through security screening and sign in at reception, then your guide will meet you there. Bags can be left with security if required.
If you can't come to Parliament, Parliament can come to you.
Democracy is built on the public having open and transparent access to the work of their representatives.
All meetings of both Houses and any committee hearings held in Parliament House are livestreamed and archived on the Parliament of Tasmania website.
For each sitting day a written record of everything said, called the Hansard, is created. This is published in draft at the end of the day while a finalised official version is prepared. Explore the sitting calendars to find other useful records of the Parliament's work on particular days, or search the digitised records from 1992-current for particular topics.
