The dispatch box in Australia's Houses of Parliament in Canberra

The dispatch box is a wooden box which serves as a lectern. Two of them sit on the table which divides each house of Parliament in the United Kingdom and Australia, one box for the Government and one box for the Opposition. Ministers address the house from the dispatch box.

In addition to giving those addressing the house a place to speak from, the dispatch boxes contain bibles and other items used as part of the swearing in of new Members. This, however, was not their original purpose. Historically, they were used by clerks and Members of the British Parliament to carry documents into the chamber.

People often speak of an MP's performance "at the dispatch box," meaning his or her skills in addressing the house and, more specifically, arguing the party's case. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...

Australian Parliament

The dispatch boxes in the Australian Parliament were gifts from King George V to mark the opening of the Old Parliament House in Canberra. They are made of rosewood, and have enamel and silver decorations. Inside the lid of each box is an inscription signed by King George. George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 - 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, as a result of his creating it from the British branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... The original parliament house of Australia, now referred to as Old Parliament House, or OPH, served as the official Parliament House of the Commonwealth of Australia from 1927 to 1988. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... Rosewood refers to a number of richly hued timbers, brownish with darker veining. ...

The Senate has two lecterns which serve a similar purpose. Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ...

United Kingdom Parliament

The dispatch boxes in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom were gifts from New Zealand, presented after Parliament was rebuilt following World War II. The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...