Colours and Decorations
The colour used in the Chamber follows the British tradition of green for the Lower House (with red being used for the Upper House). When the Chamber was built the windows were painted green to reduce glare. Contemporary watercolours from this time show the upholstery of the new Chamber as being green, with the walls being a light stone colour. A major feature was the cedar, Gothic styled Speaker's Chair.
Later photographs show a larger Chamber, lengthened in 1859 by 15 feet towards the Domain, still with green upholstery. In 1908 the Chamber was redecorated with the addition of a new pressed-metal ceiling to replace the previous plaster; green carpet; walls being repainted and stencilled in sage and emerald greens; and polished cedar features being painted in brown and green tones.
In the 1950s, fluorescent lighting was installed and the Chamber was painted white. Subsequent renovations in the early 1980s restored the Chamber its 1908 appearance.
Symbolism and historical artefacts in the Chamber
The New South Wales Coat of Arms sits above the Speaker’s Chair as a symbol of the sovereignty of New South Wales. Prior to 2007 the Royal Coat of Arms was hung in the Chamber but it was replaced with the New South Wales Coat of Arms in accordance with the State Arms, Symbols and Emblems Act 2004. The NSW State Flag and the Aboriginal Flag hang on the Chamber's northern wall, above the government benches.
The Speaker's Chair was hand carved by a Member of the Assembly, Ninian Melville, in 1886.
A portrait of William Charles Wentworth has hung in the Chamber since 1859. Wentworth was a Member of the pre-responsible Government Legislative Council and, although he was never a Member of the Legislative Assembly, he was integral to the push for responsible government.
A bronze memorial tablet hanging in the Chamber remembers two serving Members – Lieutenant-Colonel George Frederick Braund and Sergeant Edward Rennix Larkin – who were killed in action at Gallipoli in 1915.
The Table
The Table near the centre of the Chamber, which separates the government and opposition benches, plays a central role. Members speak 'at the Table'; papers become public documents when they are 'tabled' on it; and the Clerks work 'at the Table'.
For information on visiting the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales, please see Visiting the Chamber, Visiting and Tours, and School Tours.
Historical Speakers' Chair now on display in our foyer
The Speakers' Chair has a unique place in the history of the Parliament – it is a chair that has been used by the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly as their Speaker’s Chair.
The Speakers' Chair was first depicted in a watercolour sketch of what is now the Legislative Assembly Chamber in 1853. At that time the Chamber was used by the Legislative Council for sittings, and this was the Legislative Council Speaker’s Chair. After the start of the bicameral Parliament in 1856, the Legislative Council's presiding officer became 'the President' and the newly created Legislative Assembly's presiding officer 'the Speaker'. The Chair was then used by the Assembly Speaker during the first sittings of the Legislative Assembly in 1856.
