The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Stephen Twigg has visited three CPA Branches in the CPA Australia Region to discuss parliamentary strengthening and support for Members.

The CPA Secretary-General begin his visit at the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra where he met with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Joy Burch MLA, Members and parliamentary staff. The CPA Secretary-General also joined the Acting CPA Small Branches Chairperson at a virtual meeting of the CPA Small Branches Steering Committee to discuss upcoming network activities.

At the Federal Parliament of Australia, the CPA Secretary-General met with Claressa Surtees, the Clerk of the Australian House of Representatives and the CPA Australia Federal Branch Secretary to discuss professional development support for Members and parliamentary staff followed by a meeting with the Director of the International and Parliamentary Relations Office and the CPA Australia Regional Secretary, Alex Cullum.

While in the Australian capital city, the CPA Secretary-General also met with The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program and discussed the range of work being done to strengthen parliamentary engagement in the climate sphere. The CPA Secretary-General also spoke about the role of climate change and biodiversity as a thematic priority in the CPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025, as well as the projects developed on climate action for small jurisdictions through the CPA Small Branches Network.

At the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney, the CPA Secretary-General spoke at a ‘Thought Leadership Breakfast’ for Members of Parliament in which he provided personal reflections on leadership, ethics and interactions with politics. Previous guests at the breakfast event include former Australian Prime Ministers and senior government officials and it forms part of the Members' Professional Development Program.

The CPA Secretary-General later addressed a broader group of current and former Members of Parliament and officials from the New South Wales Parliament to speak about the global work of the CPA and its opportunities for supporting Parliamentarians to be active in their roles.

The CPA Secretary-General was received by the Joint CPA New South Wales Branch Presidents – the President of the Legislative Council, Hon. Matthew Mason-Cox MLC and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Hon. Jonathan O'Dea MP – to discuss the CPA’s work with the New South Wales Branch and ongoing projects in Australia. This was followed by a meeting at Parliament House in Sydney with the Honorary CPA New South Wales Branch Secretary/Treasurer and Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Ms Helen Minnican, and the Honorary CPA New South Wales Branch Assistant Secretary/Treasurer and Clerk of the Parliaments, Mr David Blunt.

The CPA Secretary-General met with Hon. Sonia Hornery MP, the CPA New South Wales Branch Representative of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Australia Steering Committee to discuss the current program of CWP events in New South Wales and its support for international initiatives to increase the numbers of women in Parliament.

Finally, the CPA Secretary-General was received by the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Hon. Margaret Beazley AC QC at Government House in Sydney to discuss the role of the CPA and the Commonwealth in the Australian State.

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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

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