In the 2015–16 Annual Report, I noted my intent to expedite the finalisation of the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) and Design Principles (DP) documents.

Both projects were well advanced when I joined DPS in December 2015, having been commissioned in 2012 by my predecessor.

Unfortunately, as I noted in my evidence to the Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee in February 2017¹ the department’s original brief was flawed, due mainly to a failure to consult adequately with Mr Romaldo Giurgola, principal architect of Parliament House, or his nominated representatives, Ms Pamille Berg AO, Hon FRAIA and Mr Hal Guida LFRAIA AIA. There was a similar failure to consult with Mr Giurgola’s representatives during the development of the CMP. As a result, when I sought their views on the draft documents, in February 2016, they identified significant errors and anomalies, particularly in the CMP. When the consultants developing the CMP declined to address these substantive issues, the projects were terminated by mutual consent in September 2016. This was not a decision I took lightly, given the amount of Commonwealth funding already expended on these projects. However, we are exploring the possibility of repurposing the DP document into a more general publication on Mr Giurgola’s thoughts on design. The draft CMP is not ‘fit for purpose’ and cannot be made so without a substantial further investment of time and funding. I advised the Presiding Officers of my intentions in August 2016.

This experience strengthened my conviction of the importance of completing the Central Reference Document (CRD) as a timeless, permanent record of the Architect’s design intent prepared by a member of the original design team for the building. When completed, the CRD will be a single source of truth and will clearly outline the original design brief requirements for the Parliament and the architect’s response. It will also provide a strong, permanent foundation for a detailed design integrity framework and the development of appropriate management plans in the future. I am grateful to Ms Berg and Mr Guida for having the faith to re-engage with us and for sharing their tremendous depth of knowledge and experience with the design, construction and fit-out of APH. I am confident that the value of our collaborative efforts will serve the Parliament for generations to come.