On this page:     Getting here — Travel options — When you arrive — Visit safety information — What happens next?

Getting here

The Assembly is located at 196 London Circuit, Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.

The public entrance to the Assembly is accessible from Civic Square, on the eastern side next to the Canberra Theatre Centre.

Travel options

The Assembly is a 6-minute walk from the Alinga Street light rail station and Civic interchange. There are also three bus-stops outside the Assembly building (stops 3003, 3004, and 3356) serviced by Transport Canberra routes R2 – R7, R10, 54 – 59, 180 – 182, and CDC Canberra routes 830, 840X, 842, 843 and 844X.

Plan your journey using the websites below:

School or charter busses are able to set down visitors in the designated stop on Civic Square, but availability of these spaces cannot be guaranteed.

There is no parking at the Assembly building. The closest paid short-stay parking options are:

Southbound cycle routes C1, C3 and C6, and northbound routes C2 and C5 connect all town centres to Civic. There are two public bike stands in Civic Square where you can lock your bike.

When you arrive

Entry to the Assembly building is through the automatic doors behind the bronze Ethos statue on Civic Square.

Tell the reception desk staff why you are visiting. They will ask you fill in your details on a tablet and will then give you with a pass to wear before they screen you.

All visitors to the Assembly go through security screening similar to an airport. This is done by our attendants’ team and helps keep the Assembly a safe public space. Security screening includes:

Our accessibility statement has information about the screening process, including the reception desk height and walk-through metal detector width.

Visitors who have any cold or flu-like symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19 won't be allowed into the building. If you feel unwell, please stay at home.


Items considered threatening or security risks will be confiscated and held by the attendants for the duration of your visit. The Australian Federal Police will be called should any prohibited items or weapons be bought onto the premises.


Visit safety information

Venue and safety information is available to download. This offers a comprehensive overview of the Assembly as a venue and site safety for visiting groups. It also includes a model risk assessment for school excursions.

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What happens next?

You need an appointment to visit a Member of the Legislative Assembly. Our website has three great pages to help with that:

Reception staff will contact the member's office when you arrive to let them know you are here. You will be asked to wait in the foyer while someone comes to greet you. You will always be with an Assembly staff member while in the secure parts of the building, including being escorted to and from the member's office.

You can watch the Assembly in action from the public gallery when the Assembly is sitting. It sits less often than the federal parliament, though, so it is important to plan to visit on a sitting day. Our website has a helpful pages for that:

Reception staff will direct you to the chamber after you have cleared security. You can sit on either side of the public gallery in the red seat, except the first row on the floor, which is reserved for invited guests and advisors.

While in the gallery, please observe these rules:

  • Dress appropriately, including wearing shoes and removing non-religious head-wear
  • No food or drink can be brought into the chamber
  • Mobile phones must be switched to silent, and
  • No photography or video recording is allowed.

If you're unwell or can't make it to the Assembly to watch from the gallery, you can watch online through our broadcast website.

Public committee hearings are open for everyone to watch, even those who are not presenting. Notice of public hearings is given on our website:

Reception staff will provide you directions to the hearing venue. They are held in a building's ground floor, either: the Kiribati Room, the Prince Edward Island Room, or the chamber (budget estimates only). When you arrive in the room:

  • if you are just watching, take a seat in the black public gallery seats and enjoy, or
  • if you are scheduled to present to the committee, let a committee staff member know you have arrived, and then take a seat in the public gallery until you are called forward.

f you're unwell or can't make it to the Assembly to watch from the gallery, you can watch online through our broadcast website.

You can join our weekly free public tour or, if a group of 5 or more, book a tour at a time and date convenient to you.

You can book an education program on our website. These are split by audience:

For school group programs, an educator will greet you out the front of the Assembly and guide your group through security. For all other programs, clear security independently as explained above.

After clearing security, reception staff will direct you to the reception room. You will be given a yellow name sticker which must be worn at all times while in the building.

The Legislative Assembly has its own art collection, with a mix of permanent and rotating displays. You can visit it any time the building is open.

After clearing security, reception staff will direct you to the building's three public exhibition spaces:

Foyer

The Assembly building foyer on the ground floor has four items on permanent display:

  • Fused Glass (1998) by Klaus Moje
  • Ngunnawal possum skin cloak (2019) by Ngunnawal women elders
  • The commonplace of Canberra (2009) by Elizabeth Paterson
  • A map of the ACT Legislative Assembly electorates and portraits of current MLAs.

London Circuit corridor

The London Circuit corridor on the ground floor has a rotating display, usually featuring new artwork purchased by the Assembly and work by the winners of the Speaker's annual emerging artists award.

Four pieces are on permanent display:

Most pieces can also be viewed anytime from outside the building.

Exhibition room

The Assembly's exhibition room on the first floor has a rotating display with no pieces on permanent display. It occasionally hosts community exhibitions, as well as special exhibitions curated by the Assembly.

News about special exhibitions is published in our Features section and on the Assembly's Facebook page .