Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1)

notes that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU):

(a)

is the focal point for global parliamentary dialogue and, as the primary vehicle for strengthening parliaments world-wide, works globally for the establishment of representative democracy, providing an unparalleled parliamentary dimension to international cooperation;

(b)

at its Assemblies, initiates debates on issues of international interest and concern in order to raise awareness and action by parliaments and parliamentarians;

(c)

defends and promotes human rights, particularly through the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians;

(d)

stresses the representation of both genders within the ranks of parliamentarians, facilitating the participation of women parliamentarians in its forums;

(e)

encourages good governance and democratic capacity building through its programs and work with regional inter-parliamentary organisations, international inter-governmental and non-government organisations; and

(f)

supports the efforts of the United Nations (at which it has observer status), works in close co-operation with the UN and is seeking a closer strategic partnership with the UN so as to promote more substantive interaction and coordination between the IPU and the UN;

(2)

welcomes recent reforms of the IPU that were strongly supported by Australian delegations, and which have resulted in improved reporting mechanisms, including detailed and comprehensive financial statements; and

(3)

commends past and present Australian delegations for their contribution to the IPU, as reflected in the leading role taken in the work of standing committees, drafting committees, geopolitical groups and the meeting of women parliamentarians.

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Inter-Parliamentary Union was established in 1889. It is one of the world’s oldest international institutions and, with over 140 national parliaments as members, it is the most prominent organisation of parliaments of sovereign states. The objectives of the IPU are that it:

Fosters contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experience among parliaments and parliamentarians of all countries;

Considers questions of international interest and concern and expresses its views on such issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians;

Contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights—an essential factor of parliamentary democracy and development;

Contributes to better knowledge of the working of representative institutions and to the strengthening and development of their means of action.

The IPU ‘supports the efforts of the United Nations, whose objectives it shares, and works in close cooperation with it’. The IPU meets twice each year, once at its headquarters in Geneva and once in a host member nation. Australia hosted the IPU conference in 1993. This year Kenya will be the host country.

If you asked the so-called man in the street what the IPU is, the answer would probably be ‘a brand of baked beans’. That lack of awareness of the IPU is not limited to Australia. The IPU commissioned communication company Saatchi and Saatchi Geneva to prepare a strategic analysis with proposals on how to make the IPU better known and its missions and work better understood. The report was presented to the IPU conference in Manila last year. The findings were that the IPU is not well known outside its own members and direct contacts; its mission and purpose are not immediately clear; there is no strategic plan that embraces branding and communications; and the structure of the organisation does not favour effective communication. The report recommended casting a new purpose and position for the IPU, which would become the international voice of democracy, and suggests that the role of the IPU should be that ‘we help ensure that over 40,000 parliamentarians around the world can do the job they were elected to do, freely, safely and effectively, and that their voice is heard in international affairs’.

The report acknowledges two threats to this approach. Firstly, in marginal democracies, parliamentarians’ freedom to speak and act on behalf of the people they represent is often at risk. Secondly, in both marginal and developed democracies, parliamentarians’ ability to influence their constituents’ national, regional and local interests is increasingly comprised by the growing power of executive government and international decision-making institutions. For parliamentarians, the IPU should be their voice and channel to the wider world, their enabler and their protector. In so being would rest the strength and legitimacy of the IPU. I strongly support the report’s proposals.

I also note the election last October of Mr Pierre Fernando Cassini as President of the IPU. Mr Cassini is also the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. He brings with him the status of his position as well as great capability and personal charm to the challenging role of reforming the IPU. There is much work to be done in reforming the procedures relating to the standing committees of the IPU and the general debate that takes place at each meeting. An important focus should remain on the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and its work in increasing the number of women representatives.

So too should there be a greater focus on the human rights of parliamentarians. In Australia, where many people see parliamentarians as having a privileged status, we should not overlook the fact that, in many parts of the world, parliamentarians speaking out on behalf of the people they represent often put their own safety at risk. I commend the many members of this parliament who have served as delegates to the IPU and who have demonstrated their commitment to the ideals and practice of representing parliamentary democracy.

Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of the motion moved by the member for Fowler regarding the Inter-Parliamentary Union and I welcome the opportunity to raise the profile of the IPU and its work. Following the Saatchi and Saatchi strategic report on how to make the IPU better known and its mission and work better understood, the members of the IPU in the Australian parliament are very keen to promote the work of this important forum. As the report has outlined, the IPU organisation is about democracy—something that the Australian parliament does not take for granted and which it respects dearly.

Many national, regional and international institutions exist, but it is important that we, as members of the IPU, discuss and promote the many positive outcomes of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s activities and the important issues that are debated within its assemblies. After all, the IPU is the international representative of a constituency of over 40,000 parliamentarians, both men and women, from around the world; it represents more than 140 parliaments across the globe. It is unfortunate that the IPU’s activities are not well known outside of its membership, and we of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the IPU are determined to change this.

I also look forward to new direction and leadership from the newly elected President of the IPU, Mr Cassini. Mr Cassini is the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and is a most impressive and eloquent man. He was elected in Geneva, after giving a dynamic and powerfully motivating address. We look forward to Mr Cassini’s dynamism flowing through the IPU in a direction that will make us important in a whole host of forums.

During the IPU assembly, the level of debate varies; however, with little exception, speakers are able to inform delegates extensively, through their debate, about many issues of political, economic, social and cultural importance, which are of relevance to both Australia and the entire international community. We have discussed and debated a range of issues including peace and international security; sustainable development, finance and trade; democracy and human rights; violence against women and children in conflict situations; and strategies to prevent, manage and treat HIV-AIDS.

This international forum is a valuable process that enables members of parliament to gain extensive understanding of many global issues. It is a process that has to become more widely recognised and valued. Some parliamentary processes across the world are very fragile. Saatchi and Saatchi has rightly determined that there is a strong need to develop and sustain fragile parliaments in a way that consistently reinforces the underlying principles of democracy. We are reminded that parliaments are the assemblies of people—the global foot soldiers of democracy, as pointed out by the Saatchi and Saatchi report. We must be ever-vigilant about the possibilities of paid bureaucrats undermining and usurping the role of the people-elected parliamentarians within the IPU. After all, the 40,000 strong membership of the IPU has been elected by millions and millions of people to represent their interests. Surely this means that most of these elected representatives have the trust of the people.

I am very proud of the extremely strong debating skills of the Australian delegation. Each delegate prepares extensively for their area of responsibility. In the team that I led to Manila, in the absence of our delegate leader, we were complimented highly on our contributions; certainly, the members of parliament in the Australian delegation received offers to address other organisations.

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.