Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation of the 5th Pacific Island Parliamentary Group Conference in Fiji which took place in August of 2025. I seek leave to move motion to take note of the document.

Leave granted.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

In doing so, can I just make a few comments with respect to this delegation and the work that is being done in the Pacific to support parliaments within all of those jurisdictions. The particular outcome of this particular conference that was attended by the leader of the delegation, Dr Carina Garland MP, and me was to finalise the establishment of the Pacific Island Parliamentary Group, or PIPG. The point of the exercise was for a parliamentary organisation in the Pacific region that would support the development and the work of various parliaments in each of those jurisdictions and enable those Pacific legislatures to exchange institutional practices, strengthen democratic governance and develop coordinated responses to issues of region-wide concern. I have to say, it was quite an interesting delegation to be a part of, to participate in the negotiations for the finalisation of the formation of PIPG and to launch it into its next stage of operations.

There are a number of interparliamentary groups that the Australian parliament participates in—I think of the IPU, for example—and they are important institutions with respect to the continuation of governance and parliamentary processes and ensuring the strength of democracy in all of our nations. When you see the recent ANU report that indicates that something in the order of 55 per cent of Australians under 25 don't believe that democracy is the best form of governance, it's a genuine cause for concern and demonstrates the importance of these sorts of programs and projects to ensure that (a) democracy is well-understood, (b) its principles and processes are supported and (c) it is strengthened. While we might have some concerns about democracy itself, when you look around the world at the alternatives, democracy comes out well ahead.

Can I thank, in tabling this report: the work of the High Commission in Fiji in supporting the visit; Mr Peter Roberts OAM, our High Commissioner; Rebecca Brown, the First Secretary of Governance who provided support in country and for the program that was put together for us which showed us some of the work that Australia is doing in supporting the economy and some local industries and businesses in Fiji as a part of our visit; and also to Mr Dinko Colak, who was the delegation's secretary from the International Parliamentary Relations Office and who did a fantastic job in supporting us in the role that we undertook as a part of that delegation and in ensuring a successful outcome from the 5th Pacific Islands Parliamentary Group Conference.

Question agreed to.