Dalai Lama to close Melbourne Parliament

Photograph by Rusty Stewart

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has agreed to address the Closing Ceremony of the Melbourne Parliament of the World's Religions on the afternoon of December 9th, 2009. The following day, December 10th, will mark the 20th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Tibetan spiritual leader in 1989. The Dalai Lama is a member of the Parliament's International Advisory Council, and has participated in several previous Parliaments. This will be the Dalai Lama's seventh visit to Australia, where he has many friends and followers and regularly attracts crowds in the tens of thousands.

Parliament Venue
World first environmental rating for Melbourne's new Convention Centre Government Sponsors

The new Melbourne Convention Centre has been awarded a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating, the first in the world for a convention centre.

The 6 Star Green Star environmental rating was awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) under its Green Star - Convention Centre rating tool for the convention centre's innovative environmental design and operational features.

A 5 Star Green Star rating signifies Australian excellence but a 6 Star Green Star rating stands out as setting new global standards for a convention centre.

GBCA executive director David Craven says the rating system takes into account a range of factors from materials to indoor environmental quality.

"This rating means the new Melbourne Convention Centre will be a public building for the future, with drastically reduced impact on the environment."

Victorian Premier John Brumby says the design of the new Melbourne Convention Centre was put through a rigorous process to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating and has set a new global standard for convention centres.

Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre chief executive Leigh Harry says the end result will create a whole new experience for delegates attending conferences.

"Delegates will literally breathe easier.  Cool air will be released at a lower level of the building, not second hand air which is traditionally pumped through the ceiling of large buildings."

Leigh Harry says this builds on what the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre is already doing in its current day to day operations.  

"As a team we are dedicated to ensuring our business is conducted in an environmentally friendly way - this covers everything from the way we recycle and/or dispose of waste to how we educate our clients to ensure they too are thinking about the environment in the way they run their meetings, events or conferences."