National Archives to relocate to Old Parliament House, East Block to be sold
Tom McIlroy
The National Archives will temporarily relocate to Old Parliament House as the federal government adds another historic parliamentary triangle building to its list of planned property sales.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said on Monday the government would sell the East Block, after it announced in April it would sell the West Block and the Anzac Park buildings near Lake Burley Griffin.
The National Archives of Australia will temporarily relocate to Old Parliament House. Photo: Sitthixay DitthavongSenator Cormann said the National Archives of Australia would temporarily relocate to the Old Parliament House as capital works were completed at its East Block home, with an expected return date sometime around September 2018.
The sales, criticised by heritage experts and the federal opposition, will see the first private land ownership inside the parliamentary triangle, which includes Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the High Court and the National Gallery of Australia.
Location, location, location: Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. Photo: Jonathan BarrettChanges to Canberra's National Capital Plan in 2016 allowed for the sales, with the buyers of the rundown Anzac Park East and West buildings required to knock them down and rebuild as a condition of purchase.
The disused restaurant building next to Anzac Park West is expected to be refurbished and reopened.
The historic East and West Blocks will be protected from demolition through Crown Lease and heritage provisions. The government expects the Archives will remain as a tenant in the East Block after the upgrades.
The West Block offices will be sold by the federal government. Photo: Jamila ToderasThe East and West Block were designed by Old Parliament House architect John Smith Murdoch.
Built in 1925-26, East Block has been home to the Archives since 1998 but was once the General Canberra Post Office and the point from which all distances in Canberra were measured.
Anzac Park East has been vacant for about 20 years. Photo: Jeffrey ChanWest Block was opened for government use in 1927 and was once home to the National Library, the Crown Solicitor's office and the Australian Electoral Commission. It is currently vacant.
The building also includes a World War II bomb shelter, which was used to code and decode messages between Australian prime minister John Curtin and British prime minister Winston Churchill.
"The government continues to ensure that the Commonwealth's property portfolio is appropriate for expected future needs and maximises value for taxpayers," Senator Cormann said.
"Following the commencement of the sale processes of Anzac Park East, Anzac Park West and West Block earlier this year, the government is now seeking proposals for the sale of East Block.
"Private investment will support urban renewal, revitalisation of heritage buildings, reopening of the former restaurant building next to Anzac Park West and the overdue rebuild of Anzac Park East, which has been unusable for decades.
"The approach to market provides significant development opportunities, and contributes to the revitalisation of key areas within the Parliamentary Triangle precinct, consistent with the National Capital Plan," Senator Cormann said.
Sale of the buildings has been under consideration by the Coalition since 2015, when the Abbott government commissioned a scoping study for selling the John Gorton and Treasury buildings, East and West Block and Anzac Park East and West.
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