Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report on the Australian parliamentary delegation to Bhutan and Mongolia, 9-21 July 2010. As the chair of the Australia-Mongolia Parliamentary Friendship Group, I present this report to the House on behalf of the delegation members, including the three members who retired at the end of the 42nd Parliament after many years of dedicated parliamentary service. Those members were the Hon. David Hawker MP, the Hon. Bob Debus MP and Mrs Kay Hull MP. The delegation leader, Senator Annette Hurley, will also be retiring from parliamentary service at the end of June. The key aim of the delegation was to visit two countries that are relatively new democracies. In particular, the delegation aimed to gain an understanding of political, economic and social issues in both countries, and to obtain an insight into Australia's development assistance activities.

Bhutan is a small landlocked country in the eastern Himalayas. Bhutan has recently developed from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. Australia enjoys a modest yet warm relationship with Bhutan, extending back to the early 1960s, with formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan being established in 2002. The initial relationship was based around the provision of aid to Bhutan. The focus of Australia's aid program is now primarily on human resources development. The Australian government will provide approximately $5.3 million in development assistance to Bhutan in 2010-11. Education, through a scholarships program, is the focus of Australia's bilateral assistance to Bhutan. Since 1998, nearly 600 Bhutanese students have studied in Australia through various scholarship schemes. There is now a core of Bhutanese senior to mid-level public servants who have been educated in Australia.

The first members of the parliament of Bhutan took their seats in 2008. His Majesty the King of Bhutan has stated that the country's first democratic government has the responsibility of setting the right examples, laying strong foundations and promoting the best practices of democracy. The parliament of Australia is able to assist the parliament of Bhutan in dealing with the steep learning curve it faces in all aspects of operating a parliament. The parliament of Bhutan is seeking guidance and advice, particularly in the areas of legislative drafting, the development of procedures for both houses and the development of secretariat support for members of parliament in both houses and in their parliamentary committees. The report recommends that the Australian government provide legislative drafting assistance to the parliament of Bhutan. The delegation understands that providing training in drafting is a very resource intensive activity for our agencies. However, that drafting expertise is of vital importance, especially to parliaments that are newly established and still coming to terms with new procedures, practice, roles and responsibilities. The report recognises the value of the Australian parliament's Inter-Parliamentary Study Program; however, it recommends that the Australian parliament investigate the provision of more exclusive access to our parliament for senior parliamentary officials from Bhutan. Short-term residencies for several officials, perhaps over a sitting fortnight, may provide unique opportunities for those officials to learn, through shadowing roles, about our parliamentary departmental functions.

Mongolia is another landlocked country—this time in east and central Asia. Mongolia became a democracy in 1990 after 70 years of Soviet style single-party rule. Australia established diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1972, with bilateral relations developing further following democratic and free market reforms in Mongolia in the early 1990s. Australia has been a longstanding development partner for Mongolia. Since 1995, Australia has provided more than $50 million in aid to Mongolia. In 2010-11, Australia will provide approximately $7.4 million in aid. Since 1993, the provision of scholarships to Mongolia has been Australia's primary mode of development assistance. The Mongolia Australian Scholarships Program provides 28 Australian development scholarships to Mongolians from both the public and private sectors each year. The scholarships program is highly regarded by the Mongolian government, with graduates including current and former ministers, parliamentarians and senior public service officials.

The delegation met with representatives from Australian businesses with a presence in Mongolia. Companies such as Leighton and Rio Tinto have significant investments in Mongolian mining and resources, particularly through coalmines at Tavan Tolgoi and the substantial copper and gold mine at Oyu Tolgoi in the Gobi Desert. Australian business has benefited from the presence of an Austrade official on a trial basis in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. Australian businesses emphasised the importance of Australian government representation in Mongolia and called for, at best, representation through an embassy in Ulaanbaatar or, at a minimum, permanent Austrade representation. The delegation notes that Mongolia established an embassy in Canberra in 2008.

The delegation was very warmly received, and the delegation members would like to thank the host nations for their friendly hospitality and their willingness to share their experiences with them. I commend the report to the House.