David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mitchell. That is outside the normal guidelines but, given the relevance of the letter, I would be happy to allow that to proceed.

The letter read as follows—

22 MAY 2606

Speaker of the House of Representatives

The Hon David Hawker MP

The Hon Alan Cadman MP

Member for Mitchell

Parliament House

CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Mr Cadman

Thank you for your letter of 10 March 2006 regarding the parliamentary delegation that attended the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum and conducted a bilateral visit to Papua New Guinea in January this year.

I am grateful for the feedback that you have provided on the delegation, as it will be useful in the planning of future delegation visits. I would like to respond to a few of the points you have raised.

You will be pleased to note that a bilateral visit to Indonesia has been included in the outgoing delegations programme for 2006. The bilateral visit is currently scheduled for September. Those responsible for arranging the visit program have been advised about the importance of including visits to AusAID projects.

I have also noted your suggestion about a possible visit to Australia by the Indonesian Speaker. The Parliamentary Relations Office has been in contact with the Australian Embassy in Indonesia and the advice that we have received is that Indonesia would not be in a position to send a delegation this year but is looking at a visit to Australia in the first half of 2007.

On the issue of continuity raised in your letter, I note that the practice in recent times has been for the delegation secretary to the APPF delegation to be the same for the life of the Parliament. As to continuity of delegation membership, the selection of delegates is a matter for the whips, and you may wish to raise the issue with your whip.

On the timing of the bilateral visit to Papua New Guinea, the outgoing delegations programme is developed with advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Parliament is reliant on that advice in relation to suitable timing for visits, taking into consideration other visits that need to be accommodated in the year’s programme. One factor that made the visit to Papua New Guinea shorter than usual for a bilateral visit was the proximity of Australia Day and the general desire of delegates to be in their electorates on that day.

I have noted your views on the timing of visits and have informed relevant officers of your concerns. The timing of the APPF in January always makes it more difficult to conduct a bilateral visit in conjunction with attendance at the APPF. Nevertheless it has been the usual practice of the Presiding officers to provide the opportunity for a bilateral visit with this delegation, to maximise the benefits for this delegation and for the Parliament.

I share your view on the significance of Papua New Guinea to Australia’s future. I believe regular contact between parliamentarians of both countries is important. As such, I will be looking to include another bilateral visit to Papua New Guinea in the outgoing delegations programme in the near future.

Once again thank you for your letter and your valuable comments.

Yours sincerely

David Hawker,

Speaker

See this speech in context