Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to note the fact that Saturday 15 September was the International Day of Democracy, a day set aside by the UN General Assembly to celebrate democracy and remind us that the need to protect and promote democracy is as urgent now as ever before. In April this year the first Global Parliamentary Report was launched by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations Development Programme. The report focuses on the relationship between parliaments and citizens and provides an assessment of the state of parliaments worldwide.

I am pleased to note that a democracy exhibition has been launched in Parliament House, which examines developments in democracy over the centuries, including Australia's contribution to parliamentary democracy. The exhibition pays special tribute to women who have advanced democratic development including the suffragettes, who campaigned for women's equal participation in political life and Aung San Suu Kyi, for promoting democracy in Burma. Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Australia, of which I am the federal parliament's representative, has invited Australians to think about women who have worked for democratic rights and who inspire us, and to nominate these female champions of democracy. The nominations can be sent in via a new website that has been launched by the national women parliamentarians committee at www.wcomm.org.

Finally it is fitting to note in the context of the International Day of Democracy the recent announcement by the Prime Minister of a 10-year initiative to empower women and address gender inequality in Pacific island countries, including mentoring and training for Pacific women parliamentarians and candidates. This is a truly meaningful contribution to democracy in our region.

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