Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the 29th annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, held virtually in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report.

Leave granted.

The Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, the APPF, brings together members of parliaments from throughout the Asia-Pacific region each year. Delegates discuss matters of interest and importance to the region and adopt formal resolutions across agenda topics. Australia has been an active participant in the APPF since its establishment in 1993 and this most recent meeting of the APPF was no exception. Along with myself as delegation leader, Australia was represented at APPF29 by the members for Lalor, Lindsay and Moreton and by Senator Van in the other place.

The meetings of APPF29 took place in November and December 2021. While the forum was hosted by the Republic of Korea, the continued spread of COVID-19 variants across the world saw the meeting take place virtually for the first time in APPF history. The overarching theme for APPF29 was the role of parliaments in strengthening resilience in the post-COVID-19 era. The agenda for the APPF covered political and security matters, economic and trade matters, and regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. The APPF meeting of women parliamentarians was another important item on the agenda. Australia participated in each of these sessions and prepared draft resolutions on the following topics: identifying ways to ensure a gender-sensitive crisis response after the COVID-19 pandemic; strengthening multilateralism and addressing issues based on rules; accelerating the digital economy and enhancing productivity; the role of parliaments in disease control, economy and human rights; and ideas for interparliamentary cooperation. The Australian delegation worked closely with other delegates to negotiate and, where possible, combine the proposed resolutions on each topic into a single version. At the final plenary session, a total of 13 resolutions and a joint communique were adopted.

During the opening session of APPF29, I announced I would be stepping down from my role as president of the APPF. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as president since 2020, and I know that the APPF will continue to be a vital institution for our region. I also want to take this moment to thank member nations for electing me to this office and, in particular, thank my friend and colleague from the Japanese Diet, Hirofumi Nakasone, for nominating me for the presidency. Subsequent to my announcement, the APPF executive committee agreed to changes to the role of president, with the functions of this role being transferred to the annual meeting chair. These changes will ensure the APPF is in a strong position to continue to provide our region with an important platform for years to come.

I would like to thank the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea for their successful delivery of the first virtual APPF. I would especially like to thank my fellow Australian delegates for their contributions to APPF29 in representing and promoting Australia's interests and contributing to the working groups and plenary sessions. The virtual meetings were held at a busy time of the year for members, and my colleagues' contribution to the APPF reinforces the importance of the APPF to our region.

I commend the report to the House.