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

by leave—I am very pleased to be able to present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference, which was held in Halifax, Canada, last month. The delegation was led by the President of the Senate, and the other members of the delegation were Senators Helen Polley and Linda Reynolds and the member for Fisher and me. The delegation worked very well together, along with other Australian delegates to the CPA Conference from the states and territories—particularly in advancing our region's interests during the conference.

The theme of the 2022 conference was Inclusive, Accessible, Accountable and Strong Parliaments: The Cornerstone of Democracy and Essential for Development. The conference encompassed a number of components, including: meetings of regional groups of the CPA, the 38th CPA Small Branches Conference of members from small legislatures, and meetings of the Executive Committee of the CPA; 10 workshops; the General Assembly of the CPA and the meeting of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians.

With other delegates, I attended the meeting of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, and I represented the Australian region at the CWP Steering Committee and participated as a speaker and panel member in a workshop on effectively combatting all forms of abuse and harassment in parliament. With the strong support of the Australian delegation, the General Assembly agreed to a proposal by the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians that at least one-third of delegates to future CPA conferences should be women. Other decisions included a new officer role for the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities Network and a change to the rules for future appointments to the role of CPA Secretary-General.

On behalf of the delegation, I would like to extend our thanks to the members of the CPA Canadian region and the parliamentary staff who provided such enthusiastic assistance in hosting the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. The delegation was grateful to His Excellency the Hon. Scott Ryan, Australian High Commissioner to Canada, for travelling to Halifax and providing valuable briefing and support to the delegation.

Finally, I would like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for assistance provided, and the staff of the International and Parliamentary Relations Office for coordinating all arrangements for the delegation. I extend special thanks to Alex Cullum, the Director of IPRO, who provided enormous support in the lead-up to and throughout our time in Halifax. Her sound advice, calm approach and professionalism were always appreciated.

Likewise, I want to thank Peter Banson, our Deputy Clerk from the House of Representatives, who was especially helpful to me during the Commonwealth women's parliamentary conference and then backed up to support the whole delegation for the CPA Conference that followed. Thank you, Peter, for your hard work and dedication; your commitment, good spirits and attention to detail were especially welcome.

In summing up, the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference presented a valuable opportunity to strengthen bonds with the Commonwealth parliaments, and we were pleased to be able to make useful contributions to debates and discussions and to promote matters of importance to Australia. I commend the report to the House.