Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian parliamentary delegation to Nepal and India from 4 October to 12 October 2023. It was my privilege to lead this parliamentary delegation, and I was joined by Senator Dean Smith, senator for Western Australia, as the deputy leader of the delegation; the Chief Government Whip, the member for Lalor; the member for Corangamite; and Senator Ralph Babet.

The Australian parliamentary delegation to Nepal was a historic visit. It was the first of its kind in 63 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. The delegation was honoured to be the first in so many years. Australia and Nepal share deep ties. Our people-to-people links and education form the foundation of the strong bilateral relationship. Nepal is the third largest source of international students in Australia, and the Nepalese diaspora in Australia is the fastest-growing migrant community, particularly in my home state of Queensland. The trade relationship between Australia and Nepal is growing, and both countries share a commitment to democratic values and international rules based order. The delegation was privileged to call on the Rt Hon. Mr Devraj Ghimire, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal, and the Rt Hon. Mr Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Chairman of the National Assembly of Nepal. These discussions were warm and emphasised the importance of strong relationships between our parliaments and our countries more broadly. The delegation was delighted to learn from Speaker Ghimire that Nepal has just established its own Nepal-Australia friendship group, an excellent sign for our relationship.

The bilateral relationship between Australia and India is at an all-time high. We are comprehensive strategic partners and free trade agreement partners. Like Nepal, India has hundreds of thousands of its citizens studying in Australia and a large diaspora, particularly in the member for Lalor's electorate, who now call Australia home. The delegation was delighted to visit India at such an important time to establish and further strengthen relationships with leaders across the Indian parliament, businesses, academia, and the not-for-profit and other sectors. In Chennai, the delegation was particularly honoured to call on the honourable Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Thiru M Appavu, and the Hon. Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, the Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services. In New Delhi, the delegates received a warm welcome from Mr Baijayant Panda, the BJP national vice president and spokesman, and Mr Manish Tewari MP of the Lok Sabha, a member of the Indian National Congress party, for more insightful discussions.

I wish to record our appreciation for the preparation that went into the visit, including the arrangements made by the Australian parliament's International and Parliamentary Relations Office, led by Ms Alex Cullum, and especially to Ms Shannon Karppinen for all her hard work. The delegation would also like to thank officials from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for their invaluable work in the lead-up to and during the delegation. In particular, the delegates wish to thank Her Excellency Ms Felicity Volk, the Australian Ambassador to Nepal; His Excellency Mr Philip Green OAM, High Commissioner to India; Ms Sarah Kirlew, the consul-general in Chennai; and Ms Hilary McGeachy, the consul-general in Bengaluru. Their support to the delegation and the quality of the briefings was outstanding.

Finally, the deep ties between Australia and Nepal and India and the ongoing strength of these bilateral relationships were evident to the Australian delegation. There is much promise of further engagement and linkage into the future, and the delegation was pleased to contribute to this. I commend the report to the House.