The lawns of Canberra's Parliament House have been damaged in an apparent political protest during the federal election.
More News Videos
Parliament House lawn poisoned
The Parliament House lawn has been vandalised - is it a protest or a high school lark?
Lawn on the House of Representatives side of Parliament House, adjacent to the building's central forecourt, has been covered with tarpaulins after vandals used an unidentified chemical to write political messages on the grass.
Restoration efforts are under way, making the messages difficult to read, but one appeared to include references to "hemp" on Monday.
![Messages burnt into the lawns of Parliament House in an apparent protest.](/web/20160712205106im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/3/2/k/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gq2z2s.png/1468288234692.jpg)
The Department of Parliamentary Services would not say when or how the chemical poisoning had taken place, but it is understood tarpaulins have been in place for at least a week.
"We can confirm that the lawns of Parliament House were the target of vandalism during the 2016 election period," a spokeswoman for the department said. "Once detected, restoration of the lawns commenced immediately."
The spokeswoman would not comment on the content of the messages.
Members of the public can walk on the usually pristine laws, which flank all sides of the building and reach the public viewing area on the roof.
![The lawns of Parliament House have been damaged by chemicals.](/web/20160712205106im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/3/4/k/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gq2z2s.png/1468288234692.jpg)
Authorities do not discuss security conditions around Parliament House, including the presence of Australian Federal Police officers, security guards or closed-circuit security cameras.
The Commonwealth Crimes Act includes provisions against intentional destruction or damage to any Commonwealth property and includes penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment for convictions.
Opened in 1988, Parliament House was designed by architect Romaldo Giurgola to nest in Canberra's Capital Hill.
The building was created to appear from the landscape at the peak of the national triangle, originally planned by architect and city planner Walter Burley Griffin.