NGO: Red House can handle larger Parliament

THE RED HOUSE can be rehabilitated to accommodate an expanded Parliament and the non-governmental organisation, Citizens For Conservation (CFC) is prepared to offer any assistance required by Government to achieve this goal.

In a statement, the group said their call was not based on emotion “but by dry technical information and common sense”. “No reason has been advanced why the Red House cannot be rehabilitated to more commodiously house Parliament. The British have been able to accommodate themselves at Westminster despite the modernisation and vast expansion of their democracy, and Westminster is more than 300 years old. The same could be done here. “There are two chambers in the Red House. The southern chamber is now unused but it should be re-dedicated to the Senate, which formerly sat there. We submit that there is more than adequate space in the Red House to accommodate every Parliamentary function, including all existing and future committee rooms,” CFC stated.

The group added that if the Manning Administration is planning constitutional reform, it may require more committee rooms and suggested the conversion of adjacent buildings for that purpose. The CFC questioned whether Parliament’s relocation had been on the drawing board since 1992 and said, “We submit with due respect, that it (Red House) is more deserving of the people’s Parliament than the office of the Prime Minister.”