Parliaments are responsible for adapting laws to changing needs and circumstances. They must also preserve the integrity of the Government system by effectively holding the Executive to account. To achieve these objectives and remain relevant to the people they represent, parliamentary systems must remain constitutionally sound while becoming increasingly adaptable. Parliamentarians themselves need to be forward-looking, resilient, and open to change.
As we navigate the challenges of a fast-paced and changing world, Parliaments are confronted with technological advancements, evolving communication methods, information overload, and increasing political and social polarisation. Addressing persistent issues like climate change requires long-term consensus and commitment.
The ability for Parliaments to identify opportunities and manage risk in this environment is paramount to our future as trusted democratic institutions. Sessions at the 2024 ASPG Conference in Wellington covered a range of thought-provoking areas such as transforming parliamentary practice in committees and with youth, engagement and participation in decision making, Parliaments and artificial intelligence, engagement through social media, parliamentary preparedness for pandemics and climate change, safeguarding Members and staff, increasing accessibility, and Parliament’s resilience in the media era.
Papers and Presentations
Thursday 3 October
Transforming parliamentary practice – engagement and participation in decision making in a changing world
Dr Sarah Moulds, University of South Australia and Lena Ormsby, NZ Parliament
Building inter-generational resilience through youth engagement with parliaments: Green shoots in Australia and lessons from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
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Bernice Watson, Parliament of Queensland
Parliamentary committees innovating for greater participation and representation in parliamentary decision-making – is parliamentary privilege a barrier?
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Panel session, Facilitator: James Picker, Clerk Assistant (Committees) with Caleb Triscari and Hong Tran
Caleb Triscari, Parliament of Victoria
Parliamentary petitions as a voice for local communities
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Hong Tran, Parliament of Victoria
Beyond the pandemic: to what extent should parliament embrace remote participation in the digital age?
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Guest Speaker: Dr Dean Knight, Professor of Law, Te Herenga Waka— Victoria University of Wellington
Parliament, resilience and the full power to make laws
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Panel session: Parliaments and artificial intelligence, Facilitator: Suze Jones, Deputy Clerk of the House with Caitlin Connally and Dr Antonino Nielfi
Caitlin Connally, Parliament of Victoria
Protecting parliamentary procedure: bridging the gap in institutional memory with artificial intelligence
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Dr Antonino Nielfi, Parliament of Australia
The AI guidelines for parliaments: leveraging the strengths of AI in legislative institutions
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Panel session: Engagement through social media, Facilitator: Amy Brier, Deputy Chief Executive, Parliamentary Library and Engagement with Rachel Tan, Dr Kit Kowol, Emma McAuliffe and Meredith Ross-James
Rachel Tan, Waikato University
Legal jurisdictions in a digital age: challenges and opportunities in parliamentary oversight of social media platforms
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Dr Kit Kowol, Parliament of Queensland
Disrupting the disrupters: resilient parliamentary procedure and culture in an era of disruptive protest
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Emma McAuliffe, NZ Parliament
Staying social: How NZ Parliament communicated with the public during the pandemic and what’s changed (nearly) five years on
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Meredith Ross-James, Post-graduate student, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington; NZ Parliament intern
Online incitement to violence: Aotearoa’s problem and legislative solutions
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Parliamentary preparedness – from disaster response and pandemics to climate change
Adjunct Professor Tamara Smith, MP for Ballina, Parliament of NSW
Strengthening community led recovery from extreme weather events: case studies from the frontline
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Dr Luke Buckmaster and Dr Matthew Thomas, Parliament of Australia
Follow the (meta-) experts: helping parliamentarians to understand complex research
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Maria Mead, Parliament of Queensland
Turbocharging civics education for parliamentary resilience: A case study of Queensland Parliament’s 2024 ‘Build your Parliament in Minecraft’ competition for schools
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Friday 4 October
Transforming parliamentary practice – balancing tradition with new opportunities: Committees
Gabor Hellyer and David Bagnall, NZ Parliament
Transforming parliamentary practice: new procedures for scrutinising the Executive
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Jessica Strout, Parliament of Victoria
What’s at stake when parliamentary committee inquiries rely on voluntary executive cooperation?
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Dr Matthew Johnson, Parliament of NSW
Informal evidence in committee inquiries
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Jessie Halligan, Stephen Fujiwara, and Kara McKee, Parliament of NSW
Going viral: Managing inquiries with thousands of submissions and substantial public interest
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Panel session: Safeguarding Members and staff — the importance of parliamentary culture and how we prevent bad choices, bullying, and burnouts, Facilitator: Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, Chief Executive, Parliamentary Service with Bruce Pope and Amy Yong.
Bruce Pope, Parliament of NSW
Governance and sustained cultural change in Parliaments
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Amy Yong, NZ Parliament
Psychological wellbeing of Parliament staff: What do we know and what can we do?
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The parliamentary workplace in a changing world
Emeritus Professor Marian Sawer, Australian National University
Making sense of the effect of the #MeToo movement on parliamentary reform
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Miona Ikeda, Parliament of Australia
Inclusive not exclusive: parliamentary committees reaching out to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
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Steve Streefkerk, NZ Parliament
Parliamentary resilience: the New Zealand experience
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Transforming parliamentary practice
Leslie Gonye, Former Deputy Clerk, Parliament of NSW
The right member given an opportunity! A case study in a transformation of parliamentary practice
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Pauline Cullen, Parliament of Australia
Raising the Standard – an inquiry by the Procedure Committee
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Resilience in an everchanging world –what opportunities this brings and how we can leverage these to overcome challenges
Stew Sexton, NZ Parliament
Accessibility in the changing world – the need for parliaments to be accessible and inclusive
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