3.26Factsheet

Twinning Arrangements This fact sheet explains the Queensland Parlia- training needs of parliamentarians and staff ment’s twinning arrangements with the leading to training activities that promote par- and Papua New Guinea National Parliaments. liamentary development • exchanges of visits as a means of fostering links Background between parliamentarians and parliamentary The parliaments of all six Australian states, as staff, and well as of the Australian Capital Territory and the • meetings of representatives at conferences or Northern Territory have entered into twinning rela- seminars attended by both parliaments. tionships with pacific parliaments under a program brokered by the Commonwealth Parliamentary As- Vanuatu sociation (CPA) Executive Committee in July 2007. The tiny nation of Vanuatu (the Republic of Va- CPA twinned parliaments nuatu) has a population of 266,000 and covers an Bouganville – NSW Samoa – SA archipelago of over 80 islands in the Coral Sea, 2,000 kilometres to the northeast of Brisbane. The Cook Islands - WA Solomon Islands – NSW three main languages spoken are English, French Fiji – Vic Tonga – SA and . Over 100 local, tribal languages and Nauru – Vic Tuvalu – Vic immigrant languages are also spoken across Vanua- Niue – NT Vanuatu – Qld tu. Vanuatu’s capital, Port Villa, is located on the Papua New Guinea – Qld island of Efate.

The twinning program was created to foster greater cooperation and support between Australian and Pacific parliaments. The program has also provided the basis for a range of parliamentary strengthening activities by members and staff of Australian parlia- ments in conjunction with development agencies such as the Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI) at the Australian National University and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Queensland Parliament has formalised its twin- ning arrangement through six-year written agree- Vanuatu’s ments with the in 2009 and Formerly known as the , Vanuatu was the Parliament of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2013. jointly governed by British and French administra- tions before attaining independence on 30 July Queensland’s commitments under the 1980. Vanuatu’s national government and parlia- twinning agreements ment share features of the French presidential and Under the twinning agreements, the Queensland British Westminster systems. In addition to the na- Parliament has committed to work actively towards tional government, there are six provincial govern- developing friendly relations with the Vanuatu and ments. A National Council of Chiefs is responsible PNG parliaments through: for making recommendations for the preservation • exchanges of information regarding parliamen- and promotion of Vanuatu culture and language. tary work, and on matters of common interest Vanuatu’s unicameral parliament comprises • regular exchanges and dialogue regarding the 52-members who are elected for four year terms. Updated July 2015 P +61 7 3553 6000 www.parliament.qld.gov.au F +61 7 3553 6419 [email protected] parliamentary democracyon16September1975. becameanindependentnationwitha It Papua NewGuineaisaconstitutionalmonarchy. PNG’s parliamentary system languages. lingua francaofthePapuan region)aretheofficial PNG. English, Tok Pisin (Pidgin), andHiriMotu(the Polynesian. There areover800knownlanguagesin are Melanesian,butsomeMicronesianor (298,248 squarekilometres).MostPNGpeople areas ofVictoria, Tasmania andthe ACT combined cent) ofthesizeQueenslandandmorethan kilometres. This isaroundaquarter(26.7per and itssixhundredislandscover463,000square capital ofPNGisPort Moresby. The PNGmainland million andis Australia’s nearestneighbour. The Papua NewGuinea(PNG)hasa populationof6.7 Papua NewGuinea governments. parliament andthepresidentsofsixprovincial termbyanelectoralcollege madeupofthe year of theRepublic ofVanuatu iselectedforafive- The President andConstitutionalHeadofState eleven ofwhicharestillactive. Since 2008,therehavebeen21politicalparties, switch partiesandallegiances,orformnewparties. compared to Australian standards.MPsfrequently Vanuatu Parliament hasamorefluidpartystructure As inotherpacificparliaments,themulti-party Ms DeborahStokes, Australia’s HighCommissioner toPNG;andMr Dale ShuttleworthMP, Memberfor FernyGrove. Speaker ofthe PNGNationalParliament;Mr Vela Konivaro,Clerkofthe PNGNationalParliament; HerExcellency Queensland Parliament; HonFionaSimpson MP, SpeakeroftheQueensland Parliament; HonTheoZurenuoc MP, MP, MemberforCoomera;MrTrevor RuthenbergMP, MemberforKallangur;MrMichaelRies, Deputy Clerkofthe Signing ofthetwinningagreement withthePNGParliamentin2013.(Fromlefttoright) MrMichaelCrandon Twinning Arrangements Party (PPP),andthePeople’s Party (PP). United Resources Party (URP), thePeople’s Progress Empowerment (THE)Party, thePNGParty, the National Congress(PNC),the Triumph Heritage The mainpartiesintheparliamentarePeople’s and localgovernments. provincial governmentswiththeirownassemblies, additiontothenationalgovernment,PNGhas In terms. five-year andits111membersareelectedfor The PNGNationalParliament is aunicameral Parliament. General whoiselectedbyMembersoftheNational Queen isrepresentedinPNGbyaGovernor- The HeadofStateisHMQueenElizabethII. The Flag ofPapualNewGuinea Updated July 2015 3.26 Factsheet