Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I present the report of the Australian parliamentary delegation to the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, which took place from 13 to 18 October 2024. I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the report.

Leave granted.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I seek leave to incorporate a tabling statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statement read as follows—

149th IPU Assembly and Bilateral Visit to France—October 2024 Introduction

r

149th Assembly

Delegation activity

The delegation was particularly active during this Assembly and the highlights of our contribution at the Assembly include:

Committee on Democracy and Human Rights as well as her appointment as the President of the committee.

The Australian delegation was active in a variety of other forums:

Emergency debate and resolutions of the Assembly

The Assembly held an emergency debate on the theme: Response by parliamentarians to the urgent plea by the UN Secretary-General to recommit to multilateralism for global peace, justice and sustainability.

The debate culminating in a resolution on the same theme which calls on the international community, including the IPU membership, to end the "appalling impact of conflict on children" and take other action to protect vulnerable persons.

The IPU membership also endorsed a resolution on the impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Amongst other things, the resolution calls upon parliaments to:

...effectively and transparently adopt or maintain strong legal frameworks and policies for the responsible creation, deployment and use of Al technology, and to contribute to efforts to establish global standards and frameworks.

Multilateral and bilateral meeting

The delegation held meetings and discussions with parliamentary delegations from Albania, India, Israel, New Zealand, Timor-Leste, Ukraine and Zambia as well as the World Health Organisation.

Bilateral Visit to France

National Assembly and Senate

During our visit to France, the delegation was official received by Madam Yael Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly at Burbon Palace.

The delegation met with Madam President alongside Ms Eleonore Caroit MP, Vice President of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the National Assembly.

During the meeting, the strength of the bilateral relationship between the two parliaments was discussed. It was, therefore, most fitting that Mr Speaker was able to present an official Guest of Parliament invitation to Madam President on behalf of the Australian Parliament with a view to further strengthening these relationships.

The delegation was also able to meet with Senator Lo"ic Herve, Vice President of the Senate, as well as Senator Florence Blatrix Contat, Chair of the France-Australia Friendship Group and Senator Georges Naturel, Senator for New Caledonia. At that meeting, the longstanding relationship between the two nations was highlighted and Mr Speaker presented the official Guest of Parliament invitation to the Vice President.

Exchange of information regarding the Olympics

The delegation met with Mr Pierre Rabadan, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of Sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Game and the Seine as well as Mr r Etienne Thobois, General Director of the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During both meetings, the delegation was informed of the lessons learned from the Paris Olympics including the importance of integrating social initiatives into project planning for the Olympics.

In the afternoon of 18 October, the delegation travelled to the Arch de Triomphe where Mr Speaker lay a wreath on behalf of the Parliament and people of Australia at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was an honour for the delegation that Mr Speaker was then able to participate in the rekindling of the flame ceremony at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier on behalf of the Australian people.

Acknowledgements

Arab Emirates, o Her Excellency Ms Amanda Gorley, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament, in Geneva, o Her Excellency Ms Emily Roper, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, and o Her Excellency Ms Gillian Bird PSM, Ambassador to France.

I'm delighted to present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly held in Geneva from 13 to 17 October, followed by a bilateral visit to France from 17 to 18 October this year. The delegation was most ably led by the Speaker, the Hon. Milton Dick MP. The delegation comprised me, Senator O'Neill, the Hon. Warren Entsch and Mr Graham Perrett. I think that, on reflection, this delegation and the work that this delegation has done over the course of this parliament absolutely demonstrates the power of parliamentary diplomacy. There are a number of things I want to highlight to that effect.

The delegation was particularly active during this assembly. One of the many highlights of the contributions of all delegation members included Mr Speaker's appointment as Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Finance for the IPU. In that capacity he presented the IPU financial report to the executive committee, to the IPU governing council and also to various geopolitical groups. Senator O'Neill was appointed to the Bureau of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, as well as her appointment as the president of that committee. I congratulate her most heartily for that. It is a very significant appointment.

The advancement of my own work on orphanage trafficking proceeded very pleasingly, again, during this assembly. I secured the agreement of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights to debate the implementation of the 2023 IPU resolution on orphanage trafficking that I was rapporteur for and took through the assembly over the course of 12 months.

The Australian delegation was also active in a variety of other IPU forums. Mr Speaker participated in meetings of the IPU Executive Committee as a member of that committee and as the chairperson of its subcommittee on finance. Senator O'Neill also moderated a panel on the debate 'On a fair global financial system' for the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development and participated in the work of the committee to promote respect for international humanitarian law as a member of that committee. Again, I also congratulate Senator O'Neill for her initiative—not only did she facilitate that debate but it was her initiative, which was very well received by many countries across many geographic political groups at the IPU.

I also served as a panellist at a workshop on combating child labour and participated in a forum of women as a member of its bureau. Mr Perrett, at his first assembly, served on the IPU emergency item drafting committee. I'm also now rapporteur for the next IPU on a two-party solution in the Middle East, which I have no doubt will be challenging to say the least. The emergency debate and the resolution of the assembly this time was a response by parliamentarians to the urgent plea by the UN Secretary-General to recommit to multilateralism for global peace, justice and also sustainability. The debate culminated in a resolution on the same theme, which calls on the international community, including the IPU membership, to end the appalling impact of conflict on children and also take other action to protect vulnerable people.

In relation to the bilateral visit to France, during our visit to France, the delegation was officially received by the President of the National Assembly at the Bourbon palace, and we met with many other parliamentarians across both chambers. We also met with Mr Pierre Rabadan, who is the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which were, again, so successful. We learnt many lessons from that. Probably the most significant one for all of us was on the afternoon of 18 October. The delegation had the great privilege of travelling to the Arc de Triomphe, where Mr Speaker laid a wreath at their equivalent of the last post ceremony, and we all participated in what was an incredibly moving ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. On behalf of the Australian delegation, there are many people to thank—the Parliamentary Library for their brilliant briefing documents yet again and also the ambassadors both in Geneva and Paris and all of their staff who provided us great support. Thank you.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Reynolds, your time has expired.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note that, from 13 to 17 October 2024, I attended the 149th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva alongside Senator Reynolds, Mr Warren Entsch, Mr Graham Perrett and the delegation leader, Mr Speaker, who did an extraordinary job in representing Australia. I just want to associate myself with the remarks of Senator Reynolds. Often, in a cynical world, people don't realise how important people-to-people relations and parliament-to-parliament relations are. In fact, it was remarked in one of our meetings that when diplomatic relations were at a sad point between us and one other country the embassy was actually quite shocked to see how important the relationships between parliamentarians were and how vital they were in rekindling the relationship. It's important work that's done by so many people right across the parliament, and we do it as team Australia. I was very, very proud to be there with such a hardworking group of senators and members.

There were 1,207 delegates at the IPU from 130 member parliaments, and I know from conversations with you offline, Acting Deputy President Sterle, that you also have participated in this august forum. It's an international organisation of national parliaments. The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values in working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of people. It works for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate action and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action.

In the IPU Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, I furthered the Australian committee's work here on PwC, shining a light on the practices of multinational consultancies that seek to profit from tax evasion and base erosion profit shifting. At the IPU, I moderated a panel debate on the committee, entitled 'Towards a fairer global financial system: the role of parliamentarians and parliaments in preventing corporate tax avoidance and achieving sustainable development'. Members of the panel included Mr Ben Dickinson, deputy director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration; Ms Kalale Mambwe, the project manager of the Tax Inspectors Without Borders initiative; Mr Thomas Beloe, the Director of the Sustainable Financial Hub in the United Nations Development Program; and Mr Ahtesham R Khan, the head of the UNDP Tax for Sustainable Development Goals initiative. And I want to thank our former colleague, former senator Mathias Cormann, for facilitating the engagement with the OECD, who are leading this work around the world. In fact, many of the participants were very surprised to find that they could get the support of Tax Inspectors Without Borders. This is critical for countries where a lot of money has been shifted away, and poverty remains the consequence of that for far too many of our fellow citizens around the world.

During the debate, I heard from countries across the world including Iran, Norway, China, Malawi, Zambia, Canada, Egypt and Thailand, to just name a few, which gives you the sense of how many nations reiterated the necessity of fair and proper taxation and its importance in facing global concerns such as climate change, poverty, hunger and education. Clearly, without funds, governments are powerless to fight these challenges and strive towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis from the UNDP states what countries could fund if companies like PwC, EY, Deloitte and KPMG were not being consulted by multinationals on how to tax-evade. In South Africa, 3,500 schools or six million HIV treatments could be funded from the $3 billion that is shifted away from that country. In Gambia, 6,500 water wells could be provided for, and, in Brazil, homes for more than eight million low-income families could have been financed. I look forward to promoting that resolution and calling for more action to be taken to ensure further taxation worldwide.

Also, at the IPU, as Senator Reynolds has indicated, I was honoured to be supported by the Australian delegation to take on the role of President of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, alongside the vice-president, Mr Torosian from Armenia. I want to congratulate the work of Senator Reynolds, who has led a fine internationally accorded debate on orphanage trafficking, which is traffickers who recruit children from vulnerable families or situations and transfers or receives them into orphanages with the ultimate purpose of exploitation and profit. This document that is now produced from the IPU is really down to her contribution. This is the kind of work we do, and I'm very proud to be associated with it.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, the time for debate has expired.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.