Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian delegation to the 141st Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, held in Belgrade, Serbia, from 13 to 17 October 2019, and seek leave to make a short statement in connection with the report.

Leave granted.

The IPU is an international organisation of parliamentary delegations dedicated to promoting peace through diplomacy and dialogue. I had the privilege of leading the Australian delegation at the 141st assembly, in Belgrade, Serbia, where over 1,700 delegates attended, from 149 member parliaments. The member for Fisher, the member for Bruce and Senator Deborah O'Neill joined me as members of the Australian delegation to the IPU. Parliamentary delegations were invited, as part of the IPU Assembly, to speak to the general debate, which this year was on the topic of strengthening international law through parliamentary roles and mechanisms and the contribution of regional cooperation. On behalf of the delegation, I addressed the IPU Assembly on Australia's long and proud history of strengthening international law and other norms of responsible state behaviour, including through our parliamentary roles and mechanisms.

The IPU provided opportunities to meet with other parliamentary delegations from across the globe, including through our involvement in geopolitical groups. The Australian delegation participated in the Asia-Pacific Group, which consisted of 27 delegations from across our region, as well as the Twelve Plus Group, which met on five occasions during the assembly. Members of our delegation actively took part in these activities. I also had the opportunity to attend the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, with the parliamentarians present considering a draft resolution on achieving universal health coverage by 2030 and workshops on making sure that universal health coverage is responsive to the needs of women and girls.

Outside of our duties at the IPU Assembly, the Australian delegation held bilateral meetings with Vietnam and North Macedonia, where we discussed matters of mutual interest and concern. In addition, the Australian Ambassador to Serbia hosted a reception at the Australian embassy with delegates and staff, with our Pacific neighbours Fiji, Tonga, Timor-Leste, the Federated States of Micronesia and New Zealand attending. I thank my fellow members of the delegation—the member for Fisher, the member for Bruce and Senator O'Neill—for the valuable contributions they made to the IPU Assembly throughout the trip as well as using the opportunity to present Australia's interests on a global stage. Thank you also to the Australian Ambassador to Serbia, Her Excellency Ruth Stewart, and the staff at the Australian embassy in Belgrade for their support during the delegation's time in Serbia and for being such welcoming hosts.

Finally, I'd very much like to thank the Parliamentary Library staff, including Cat Barker and her colleagues, for putting together the delegation's briefing material; Raymond Knight and his colleagues at the International and Parliamentary Relations Office; and the ever-reliable delegation secretary, Toni Matulick, for making this trip possible.