The work's creators - a choreographer, designer and composer - will be on debut with the company.

''It will be about the architecture of Parliament House,'' she said.

''It will have its world premiere here in Canberra, not the small company, but the full company, and then go on to seasons in Melbourne and Sydney.''

Australian Ballet artistic director David McAllister told The Canberra Times the work was being created with Garry Stewart, the artistic director of the Australian Dance Theatre.

''We are really looking forward to it. It's still in progress but it's centred around Parliament House and will have about 15 dancers,'' he said.

He said it would be part of a double bill at the Canberra Theatre.

''Robyn was very keen that we were part of the Centenary and I am really thrilled about it. We have been talking about it for nearly two years and it fits in with our desire to get back to Canberra,'' he said.

One of the possible dancers is rising star Chengwu Guo, who will perform a section from Don Quixote in Canberra on Friday as part of the Telstra Ballet in the Park. In 2009 Chengwu won China's So You Think You Can Dance. That same year he appeared as Li Cunxin in the smash-hit film Mao's Last Dancer.

Archer said that in many ways the development of Parliament House mimicked Canberra's development.

''In 1978 the decision was made to proceed with a new building for the Australian Federal Parliament in Canberra. Yet again, an international competition was launched, and yet again an American team won,'' Archer said.

In April 1911, the Australian government conducted an international competition to find a design for its new capital city. The American architect Walter Burley Griffin produced the winning design with impressive renderings of the plan by his wife Marion Mahony Griffin.

Mr Griffin said at the time: ''I have planned a city that is not like any other in the world. I have planned it not in a way that I expected any government authorities in the world would accept. I have planned an ideal city - a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future.''

For new Parliament House it was Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects led by Aldo Giurgola who won with a design that followed the Griffins' principle of setting the building into the landscape.

The ballet has been developed in consultation with Mr Giurgola and two members of his team who also remained in Canberra, the architects Pamille Berg and Hal Guida.

The new work will reflect design principles and aesthetics as well as the desires of the nation for this building to be a new symbol of Australian democracy. Diana Streak