By JOLENE OGLE
TWENTY-FIVE delegates from around the world gathered at Noosa Boathouse on Friday 10 June to celebrate the end of a week-long parliamentary seminar.
The delegates were parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from 13 Commonwealth countries including India, Cameroon, the United Kingdom and Canada, who had spent a week in Brisbane as part of the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) seminar.
Now in its 27th year, the CPA seminar brings together parliamentarians from different parts of the world to discuss a wide range of issues, policies and procedures.
Along with Noosa MP Glen Elmes and Noosa Mayor Tony Wellington, Queensland Clerk of the Parliament Niel Laurie hosted the delegates and said it was great to bring everyone together to discuss issues from parliamentary procedure to ethics and transparency in parliament.
“One of the curious things that always arises with these types of events is while we are very different culturally, we do have a lot of similarities because we’re all based on Westminster type parliaments,” he said.
“Although we think ourselves very different, the issues are always the same no matter where you are in the world.
“Part of the whole seminar is how people are approaching problems or issues in different ways. So we are learning from each other all the time.”
Quebec Canada delegate Robert Poeti said attending the CPA seminar is about working hard for their country’s citizens as well as having fun while sharing ideas and possible solutions.
“Anywhere there is the same politics in the world, we have the same problems,” he said.
“I’m not so surprised but for me when we find a solution for us, it could be good (for another country) and the other way back, too. If they find a solution it could be good for us.”
This is the first time Australia has hosted the CPA seminar and the first time the delegates have travelled to Noosa to take in the beautiful region.
