Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Ireland and Italy from June to July 2010. Between 26 June and 10 July 2010 I was fortunate to be a member of a parliamentary delegation led by the President of the Senate, Senator John Hogg, to Ireland, Italy and the Holy See. The aims of the delegation included renewing and strengthening relationships with the parliaments of Ireland and Italy and providing opportunities for parliamentarians to compare approaches to public policy issues of mutual interest and concern.

At the outset I acknowledge my fellow delegates and the contributions they made. In addition to Senator Hogg, the delegation included deputy delegation leader, the former member for McPherson, Mrs Margaret May; Senator Steve Fielding, Senator for Victoria; and former member for Fowler, Mrs Julia Irwin. The delegation was also accompanied by Ms Julia Clifford, adviser to the President of the Senate, and Dr Shona Batge, the delegation secretary, from the Department of the Senate. I acknowledge the support and service of both those personnel but particularly acknowledge the expertise of Dr Batge in preparation of the final report and her knowledge of the countries we visited.

Our two-week program took us to Dublin, Galway, Rome, Vatican City and Palermo for a comprehensive array of meetings designed to help the delegation meet its predetermined aims and objectives. The topics of our meetings were wide ranging and included the following. Delegates met with presiding officers of each parliament we visited and were able to discuss practical matters pertaining to the operation of parliamentary business and buildings. In Rome this included an opportunity to view major artworks displayed in the parliamentary buildings and discuss the conservation challenge. Delegates also met with a number of parliamentary committees from the Irish parliament and from the Italian parliament, providing an opportunity to discuss the operation of the committee systems as well as particular policy areas of interest. Because I have a particular interest in the potential to build a light rail public transport system in my own electorate in Newcastle, I made the most of opportunities to seek briefings on and examine the operation of the Luas light rail system in Dublin.

The impacts of the global financial crisis were of course being felt strongly in both Ireland and Italy. We watch with great interest, obviously, the discontent and difficulties that are being experienced. Unemployment levels continue to rise there, and the availability of credit has decreased. Many of the parliamentarians and others with whom we met were very interested in discussing Australia’s successful implementation of economic stimulus measures in the face of the crisis.

The subject of illegal immigration, including policies on detention and processing of claims for asylum, was also discussed in both Ireland and Italy, and of course we see the movement of people all around the world. In Italy we visited a centre in Trapani that houses asylum seekers, where we observed a language class, met with a young family and were able to speak to the individual detainees there.

I express sincere thanks to the Irish parliament and to the Italian parliament for hosting our visits. The hospitality that was extended to the delegation and the effort put into arranging and facilitating programs of work for us ensured that our visits were fruitful and enjoyable. I also thank all those who generously made themselves available to meet with the delegation and assist us in fulfilling the aims of our visit. We engaged in many frank and informative dialogues—as only parliamentarians, generally, can do! The amount of sharing that does take place is always amazing. We were able to gather much useful information.

I also thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, particularly their staff in Canberra, Dublin and Rome, for their high level of assistance. They provided both advance briefing material and on-the-ground support while we were travelling. We were also well served by the staff of the Parliamentary Relations Office and the Parliamentary Library.

I make special mention of the Ambassador to the Holy See, Mr Tim Fischer, who is well know here. It was a delight to enjoy his company and his enthusiasm for the challenge of organising events during Mary MacKillop’s canonisation. I am very pleased, having met Sister Maria Casey there, that everything went so well for them in Rome. I also thank Tim Fischer for his enthusiasm for rail and for his discussions with me about the rail solutions needed in this country, including in my electorate.

Senator Hogg has issued personal invitations to the presiding officers of both the Irish and the Italian parliaments to undertake reciprocal visits to the Australian parliament in the near future. We look forward to welcoming delegations from these countries in due course.