2nd CDI Indonesia-Australia Parliamentary Committees Workshop | 25 May 2007
In conjunction with the Department of the House of Representatives, Parliament of Australia, CDI organised the second Indonesia-Australia Parliamentary Committee Workshop. This workshop follows on from the seminar convened by CDI on the Parliamentary Oversight of Treaties in July 2005 at the Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta. That seminar brought together elected representatives and secretariat staff from both parliaments' foreign affairs committees to discuss the central issues of international law and their implications for domestic politics. The seminar deepened ties between the Indonesian and Australian parliaments by facilitating exchange at the highest levels.
As in 2005, the second Workshop involved Members and staff of Commission One (Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defence, Communication and Information), of the Indonesian House of Representatives. The Indonesian delegation was led by Mr. Sidarto Danusubroto, Vice Chair Commission I, and include Mr Abdillah Toha, Chairman of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation. Members of the Australian Parliament's committees for Foreign Affairs, Treaties and Intelligence, together with senior staff from the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Parliamentary Research Service, have been invited to participate.
The workshop was held on Friday 25 May 2007 at Parliament House in Canberra. This date was chosen so as to coincide with the Australian Senate's Budget Estimates hearings, which are meetings where Senators can question Ministers and their officials about the expenditure of government funds. The delegation was in Canberra for 4 days and during this time also observed an estimates hearing in progress, attended question time in the House of Representatives, and held a series of meetings with Australian Government and Opposition MPs and Senators.
The theme for the Workshop was 'Understanding the role of Parliamentary Committees in policy making in Indonesia and Australia'. The aim of the Workshop was to facilitate discussions by Members of Commission One and Australian Federal parliamentarians with a common interest in foreign policy, trade and security issues. Participants also took the opportunity to look at aspects of parliamentary practice in our respective parliaments.
Click on these links for the full 2007 report and program, and details on the 2005 event:
