Assistant Speaker to attend regional conference

Assistant Speaker, Eric Roy, and Tim Workman, Chief Legislative Counsel, from the Office of the Clerk, will attend the 42nd Conference of Presiding Officers and Clerks from Australia and the Pacific hosted by the Queensland Parliament in Brisbane from 10 to 15 July 2011.

The conference, which is held annually, provides the opportunity for Presiding Officers and Clerks from the Australian and Pacific parliaments to develop professionally and share knowledge through jurisdiction reports and the presentatioin of papers by participants. During the course of the conference Mr Roy will also attend a regional meeting with other participants from the Pacific.

“This is one of the few opportunities when Presiding Officers and Clerks from the Pacific gather to discuss parliamentary practice and procedure in their respective parliaments. It is a very good opportunity for us to learn from other parliaments in the region”, Speaker Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith said.

During the conference Eric Roy and Tim Workman will present a paper entitled Parliament in times of Emergency, which will discuss the New Zealand Parliament’s response to the Canterbury Earhthquake, parliamentary practice in times of emergency and emergency legislation.

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