The House with Annabel Crabb
ABCTV, Tuesdays, 8pm
It is one of the most photographed buildings in Australia and yet what do we know about Parliament House in Canberra? Probably not much.
From the makers of Kitchen Cabinet – a show aimed at humanising politicians comes The House – a show aimed at demystifying the building they all operate in.
The early problem is while Crabb is a great host for Kitchen Cabinet, to begin with her sing-songy voice-over and the classical backing music come across as a little smug and take away from what is a pretty interesting documentary.
But it’s worth holding on because Crabb finds her stride about halfway through and once she is back to interviewing then the show comes alive. She has a great way of relaxing the politicians and reminding us they are actually humans.
For the first episode we return to 2016 as we follow a group of new politicians trying not to get lost in the kilometres of hallways and we are introduced to the building through their eyes.
We see their new offices, their name plates going up and their keys being handed out.
And Annabel talks to a smattering of the newbies including Derryn Hinch. Along the way we meet some of the characters who work in The House as well.
Among the staff is Sandy McInerney, queen of the underworld, who controls the loading dock – the single entrance through which all the food, goods and supplies enter Parliament House, and out of which every item of waste leaves.
Then there is chamber attendant Luch Jonceski, who has worked in the building for 29 years. Or Maria Ljubic, the building’s head cleaner, who gave the red carpet a last-minute vacuuming at the building’s opening in 1988 and was briefly mistaken for the Queen.
The interesting documentary was shot over a 10-month period with unprecedented access granted by Parliament House authorities to the extensive parts of the building where cameras and members of the public are not usually allowed.
– Tania Phillips
