Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the 36th AIPA General Assembly, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 6 to 12 September 2015. I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report.

Leave granted.

The 36th AIPA General Assembly was held last year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was an honour to attend this important forum of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly as leader of the Australian delegation. Last year was a significant year for ASEAN; 2015 had been identified as the year in which the ASEAN community was to be established. Although it is not yet complete, we applaud ASEAN and AIPA for their considerable and ongoing efforts to establish the institutional and cultural structures required for an ASEAN community. As was noted during the first plenary session, ASEAN community building is a process rather than an end point. It is an ongoing and evolving process and one that Australia supports. In this context, the General Assembly focused on inclusiveness in building an ASEAN community. The assembly also dealt with important regional concerns, including gender, political and security matters, economic growth and development, and social issues. Of note, the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea were remarked on by several delegations. And, interestingly, the timing of the assembly coincided with the South-East Asian haze being present across much of Malaysia. Certainly the haze was readily apparent to the delegation in Kuala Lumpur. Both of these issues reinforced to the delegation the importance of AIPA in working towards resolving important transnational concerns in the region.

One of the key meetings for the delegation was a formal dialogue session with representatives of ASEAN member countries. The dialogue session was an important opportunity to discuss cooperation and engagement between our parliaments. The warm discussions with our regional colleagues covered opportunities for parliamentary cooperation, including capacity building for legislators and staff alike, and cooperation to address people-trafficking, violent extremism, disaster management, agriculture, human resource development, and financial services. One of the most common messages during the dialogue session was how much our regional colleagues appreciate and value parliamentary exchanges with Australia and the clear benefits for capacity building and cultural understanding that arise on both sides.

The delegation also had the great honour of meeting with the Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives. We had a thorough and candid discussion with the Speaker about the challenges faced by both of our parliaments and the opportunities that lie ahead. On behalf of the delegation, I thank the Speaker for graciously giving his time and thoughtful contributions, especially during a very busy time for him as President of the General Assembly.

In addition to representing Australia at the AIPA General Assembly, the delegation attended appointments to reaffirm Australia's ties with Malaysia. The delegation met with members of the Malaysian Youth Parliament, young Malaysian political staffers and business representatives, and a range of organisations that promote political moderation, innovation and entrepreneurship. The delegation was also honoured to travel to the Selangor State Legislative Assembly and meet with the Speaker, who gave generously of her time and her perspectives.

Australia has had a multilateral relationship with ASEAN since 1974, and our ongoing presence at AIPA general assemblies reinforces Australia's commitment to engaging with South-East Asia. On behalf of the delegation I would like to record our thanks to the host of the 36th General Assembly, the Parliament of Malaysia, for its excellent hospitality and a very well-run meeting.

Before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to express the delegation's appreciation to all the staff at the Australian embassy in Kuala Lumpur. They were simply fantastic. The embassy made arrangements for the delegation's meetings and engagements beyond the AIPA General Assembly, which enhanced the visit's overall success. I congratulate and thank very much the secretary who accompanied us, Peggy Danaee, who did an excellent job with organising me and my federal colleague the member for Chifley, Ed Husic, for all the events and meetings we needed to attend. And I would like to thank the honourable member for Chifley. He was a fantastic ambassador for Australia and also for his local community. He can be very proud of his efforts. He participated very strongly in formal and informal discussions, and it was a great aid to have him there; he is not a bad bloke, with a good sense of humour.