Four concrete barriers filled with sand had been installed at Parliament House's entrance on this day in 1992, "to ensure that no more vehicles are driven straight through the front door".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It came four days after a man, Clifton Courtney Moss, crashed his four-wheel drive up the forecourt, through the marble columns at the front of the building, and into its Great Hall.
"The barriers make good a promise by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Leo McLeay, that a permanent solution to the security gap would be in place before the budget sittings this week," a report on the front page of The Canberra Times read.
"In the wake of the incident, Parliament House insiders said Clifton Courtney Moss did Parliament a favour when he drove his Mitsubishi Pajero into the Great Hall on Wednesday.
"The urgent review of security arrangements it prompted might force a change in the present overly complex set-up."
Nearly $12.5 million - or about $7.1 million more than an initial cost estimate - was spent on the technical security of the building, including the security alarm system, CCTV cameras, security screening equipment and other assorted surveillance paraphernalia, the report said.
