Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report on the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Working Group on Reform held in Geneva on 17 and 18 July 2006. The Inter-Parliamentary Union is the international organisation that brings together representatives of the parliaments of sovereign states. IPU assemblies are held twice a year and members of national delegations participate in debates and the work of committees that address political, economic, social and cultural issues of international significance. The IPU has been undergoing a reform process for over six years and in doing so introduced several changes to the proceedings of the assembly and its committees. The IPU also strengthened its relationship with the United Nations, resulting in the organisation being granted observer status.

During this period, the Australian National IPU Group has been supportive of most of the reform proposals but expressed the strong view that the fundamental principle underpinning any reform proposals must be that it is affordable and sustainable and that the IPU must be financially accountable. In relation to this matter, it should be noted that the IPU is now consistently posting a small profit and its financial statements are comprehensive and detailed. Although some of the reforms were positive—for example, a better focus for the general debate at IPU assemblies by the introduction of a theme for the debate—there were also negative aspects to them, particularly in relation to the procedures of the standing committees.

In 2005, the newly elected President of the IPU, Mr Pier Ferdinando Casini, undertook to reinvigorate and consolidate the reform process. Accordingly, an IPU president’s working group on reform met in Geneva on 19 and 20 January this year. In May 2006, in Nairobi, it was agreed that the working group should meet again to address further issues of reform and that the leaders of the six geopolitical groups should be invited to attend. As the incoming chair of the Asia-Pacific geopolitical group of the IPU, I was invited to participate in the work of the group, and I thank you, Mr Speaker, and the President of the Senate for your support and ongoing commitment to IPU reform.

Eighteen parliamentarians met over two days in Geneva in July to discuss: relations with the United Nations; the functioning of IPU assemblies; governance of the IPU; democracy promotion; outreach and information; and resource mobilisation. In my contributions to these discussions, I identified nine key areas of reform in relation to the work of the standing committees. These included the time for the lodgement of amendments to draft resolutions and the powers of the drafting committees. Others involved the interaction between the IPU and the United Nations and, in particular, the need to strengthen ties between the IPU and agencies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation.

Another involved the work of the IPU in institutional capacity building, emphasising that parliamentarians should play a greater role in democracy building in post-conflict and newly democratic countries. Another was that any proposed changes to the functioning of the IPU must include the participation of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians and women parliamentarians.

I am pleased to report that most of these proposals for reform were adopted by the working group. The tabled report sets out in detail the recommendations for reforms proposed by the working group. These recommendations for reform will be sent to members of the IPU Executive Committee as well as the entire IPU membership.

The meeting of the Asia-Pacific geopolitical group, which I will chair, in Geneva in October will consider the recommendations, as will the five other geopolitical groups. Following consideration and any further recommendations, the IPU will consider the matter at its session in Geneva in October 2006. If recommendations are adopted at this meeting, the requisite amendments to the statutes and rules will be prepared for consideration and adoption at the meeting of the IPU in Bangkok in May 2007.

I commend this report to all members of the Australian National IPU Group. I would welcome any feedback on the recommendations for reform that are aimed at reinvigorating the IPU.