New Zealand MPs to attend the Australasian Study of Parliament Group Annual Conference in Sydney

Members of Parliament Louise Upston and Louisa Wall will take part in the Australasian Study of Parliament Group (ASPG) Annual Conference in Sydney, Australia from 1 – 3 October.

The ASPG seeks to encourage and stimulate research, writing and teaching about parliaments in Australasia and the South Pacific in order to generate a better understanding of these institutions. Each State and Territory of Australia, as well as New Zealand, constitutes a chapter of the ASPG, and the organisation is politically non-partisan.

The New Zealand members of Parliament, along with Dr Therese Arseneau of Canterbury University, will present a paper titled ‘The impact of MMP on representation in New Zealand’s Parliament – a view from inside and outside Parliament’.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon David Carter, said that the ASPG was useful in providing a general forum at least once a year for interaction between academics, staff and members of Parliament, as well as helping to contribute to the process of reform and improvement of parliamentary institutions and the legislative process.

“The ASPG Annual Conference allows New Zealand members of Parliament to exchange knowledge and ideas and to engage in healthy discussions with our close colleagues in Australia. I am confident that our Parliament’s contribution to this year’s conference will be significant, both through our members presenting their paper, and through their active engagement throughout the event”.

ENDS

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