The Mace - The Parliament Collection Victoria

Our Westminster system of Parliament features some very distinctive traditions and symbols. Many of these are centuries old and can still be found in the day-to-day operations of our modern democracy. Perhaps one of the most striking of these is the ceremonial mace. In Victoria's Legislative Assembly and in other parliaments around the world, the mace is an ornamental and highly decorated symbol of authority. But originally, it had a much more practical purpose. The medieval mace became popular as a weapon of war in the 12th century and was introduced into Parliament as a form of protection for the Speaker. It was carried by the Sergeant-at-Arms, who was responsible for the security in the Chamber and maintaining order in the public galleries. It's likely that the mace was last used as an actual weapon during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, but today the Sergeant-at-Arms has many of the same responsibilities and still carries the mace when leading the Speaker into a sitting of Parliament. It's placed on the table of the Assembly to signify that Parliament is in session. Victoria's first mace was introduced in 1857 and is made of wood with a thin layer of gold leaf. When you compare it to the elaborate ceremonial maces used in other parts of the world, and even against our current mace, it's a relatively humble artefact. However, its value and its significance lies in the role it's played in our state's history and the history of our country. Before Canberra was founded as our capital, Melbourne was home to the Federal Parliament and this mace was used in Australia's House of Representatives from 1901. The mace even travelled to Canberra in 1927 when the Federal Parliament relocated there and it was used right up until the early 1950s. Victoria's Legislative Assembly has actually had three maces. In 1866, a more elegant and ornate gold and silver mace replaced the original wooden mace. This became known as the infamous missing mace when it was stolen from the Speaker's chambers on the 9th of October 1891. Despite an extensive investigation and a huge amount of speculation in the press, our second mace was never seen again. Even as recently as 2001, a reward for information leading to its discovery was increased to $50,000. So it's definitely worth checking your shared or local op shop. Today, Victoria's first mace and the first mace of our Commonwealth Parliament takes pride of place in the Parliamentary Library. It's just one of the many artefacts from our state's history that you can find when you come and visit us here at the Parliament of Victoria.