The Canberra Press Gallery (officially called the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery) is the name given to the approximately 180 journalists and their support staff, including producers, editors and camera crews, who report the workings of the Parliament of Australia. The name derives from the press galleries, enclosed viewing areas above the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives, which the Speaker and the Senate President have allocated to the use of media representatives. Parliament House Canberra: The main entrance and the flag The Parliament of Australia is the legislative branch of Australia. ... The press gallery is the part of a parliament where journalists are allowed to sit or gather to observe and then report speeches and events. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... Australian House of Representatives chamber Entrance to the House of Representatives The Australian House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the Parliament of Australia. ... The Speakers chair in the House of Representatives The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament of Australia. ... The President of the Australian Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. ...

The expression "Canberra Press Gallery" also refers to the association of Gallery journalists which represents their professional interests in dealing with the Parliament. The current President of the Gallery is Malcolm Farr of the Sydney Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph is a tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Rupert Murdochs News Corporation. ...

Despite their official title, Gallery journalists spend very little time in the press gallery itself, apart from during Question Time (one hour in each sitting day). Journalists work mostly from their own area in the Parliament House building, above the Senate chamber, comprising televsion studios, radio booths and office space. Somewhat confusingly, this area is also commonly called the Press Gallery. Question Time is a section of proceedings in the Parliaments of the United Kingdom and several other countries which use the Westminster system, including Australia and New Zealand, and in Canada, where it is called Question Period. ... Parliament House Canberra: The main entrance and the flag Parliament House is the name given to two purpose-built buildings in Canberra, the capital of Australia, where the Parliament of Australia has met since 1927. ...

Conventional wisdom among both journalists and politicians attributes great power and influence to Gallery journalists, who are somewhat disparagingly refered to as "the pack" (as in wolf pack) by politicians. Ian Ward says: "gallery journalists are collectively responsible for the great majority of news stories about federal politics that appear in Australian Print and broadcast media." Many of the best known names in Australian political journalism, such as Michelle Grattan, Laurie Oakes, Alan Ramsey, Glenn Milne, Paul Bongiorno, Dennis Shanahan and Michael Harvey are Gallery members. Michelle Grattan AO is one of the most respected journalists in Australia. ... Laurie Oakes Laurie Oakes is acknowledged as one of Australias foremost political commentators, with a career in journalism spanning more than 30 years. ... Alan Ramsey is a columnist and writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, noted for his liberal stance on a range of social and political issues. ... Paul Bongiorno is an Australian political journalist who regular appears on Network Tens news programs and the weekday television program, Good Morning Australia, on the same network. ...

References

• Clem Lloyd, Parliament and the Press: A History of the Canberra Press Gallery (1988)
• Ian Ward, "The media, power and politics," in Andrew Parkin et el, Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia, Pearson Education Australia (2006)

External links

• Contacts at the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery (at the Prime Minister's website)
• The Prime Minister and the Press: A Study in Intimacy (Michelle Grattan reflects on the history of the Press Gallery)