Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

“Your Parliament – Your Voice”
From the Office of the Speaker


Fostering ongoing international ties

The Deputy President of the Norfolk Island Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Mr Lisle Snell MLA, is now in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is attending the 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which this year will focus on “Parliament and Development in the 21st Century: Thus Far and Beyond”. This Conference is preceded by the two day 30th Small Branches Conference which is of particular relevance to Norfolk this year. The topics for discussion at this Conference will include ‘Energy and Environment: Achieving Sustainable Development’; ‘The Challenges of Sovereignty in Small States’; and ‘Parliament and Accountability – Strengthening Oversight in Small Parliaments’.



Norfolk Island has been a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, or the CPA as it is more commonly called, since 1980 and has been sending a delegate to this international Conference annually since the late 80’s with many beneficial outcomes for Norfolk Island as a consequence. The cost of delegate’s airfares, accommodation and meals are met from Conference funding.



What is the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association?

The CPA is an Association of Commonwealth Parliamentarians who, irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, are united by community of interest, respect for the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms, and by pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy.

The Association's mission is to promote the advancement of parliamentary democracy by enhancing knowledge and understanding of democratic governance. It seeks to build an informed parliamentary community able to deepen the Commonwealth's democratic commitment and to further co-operation among its Parliaments and Legislatures. This mission is achieved through a Strategic Plan which ensures CPA activities continue to meet the changing needs of today's Parliamentarians.

Active CPA Branches now exist in 175 national, state, provincial and territorial Parliaments, with a total membership of approximately 17,000 Parliamentarians.



Lord Howe Island endorses a Community Strategy for 2010 to 2015

In early August Lord Howe Island launched what they have termed “The Lord Howe Island Community Strategy 2010 – 2015 ‘Pride in our Island, United and Confident in our Future””. The Strategy “is an initiative of the Lord Howe Island community in response to the many uncertainties and difficulties that affect small and isolated communities. The island community has not previously developed an overall plan and the desire to create a cohesive and vibrant community led to a commitment to prepare a plan for our future. The preparation of the LHI Community Strategy was possible due to the commitment and financial support of the Lord Howe Island Board. The Board recognises the vital importance of community engagement and the benefit of local experience and resident participation in decision making and project implementation….” A copy of the Lord Howe document is available at CIRCA.



Lord Howe’s initiative is applauded by the Norfolk Island Government, and Minister Andre Nobbs and I spoke this week with the Chairman of the Lord Howe Island Board about the processes they followed to such a successful conclusion. We were all agreed it would be great to set up a radio link with their Board in the near future to discuss their Strategy while at the same time strengthening the already long standing, close ties between our two communities. The possible development of a similar Strategy by the Norfolk Island community in tandem with the forward Strategy of the Norfolk Island Government currently nearing completion is certainly “on our agenda”!



Issued from the Office of the Speaker on 10 September 2010 and posted on the blog site http://yourparliamentyourvoice.blogspot.com/