What does the president do?

Among my roles as President of the Legislative Council, I act as an ambassador for the House and WA Parliament. This involves meeting and hosting representatives from other governments, organizations and countries. Through such work, the Legislative Council has, over the years, developed good relationships with many other parliaments. It is my desire to improve public knowledge of and access to the Legislative Council. Engaging the public with the wide-ranging work of the Legislative Council is very important and hopefully, through this webpage, we can reach and engage all Western Australians.

An equally important aspect of my work is improving public understanding of the work of the Council. The Council receives over 15,000 visitors each year, while many more people find out about our work through this website. I encourage you to visit the Council and explore this website to learn more about what we do. You can read about some of the events I have attended and delegations I have hosted in the following postings, which I will be adding to as the Parliamentary term unfolds.

Kind regards,
Hon. Barry House,
President of the Legislative Council

EVENTS

Engaging students in remote communities I am very pleased to be part of the “Hear Me!” Program at Parliament House. The “Hear Me!” program is an educational program developed and delivered by the Parliamentary Education Office to reach out to our students living in remote communities. The “Hear Me!” program has been developed specifically for the students in our 77 remote community schools. It develops the idea that Parliament, although based in Perth, is a place where distant voices can be heard. This is an important issue I feel strongly about. As a member for regional WA, I am keen to improve connections between Parliament and our people living in rural and remote Western Australia. A series of interactive activities have helped students develop an understanding of representative democracy - having a say and being heard. Students are encouraged to express what it is they value in their community, what concerns them and what they would like to see changed, improved, or left the same. Students recorded, either through words or drawings, their ideas onto a calico scroll. The scrolls were presented to myself and to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon. Grant Woodhams. We have displayed the scrolls outside the Premier’s Office in Parliament House for all members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Schools who have participated to date include La Grange Remote Community School (Bidyadanga), Djarindjin-Lombadina Remote Community School, Sacred Heart School (Beagle Bay), Luurnpa Remote Community School (Balgo Hills), One Arm Point Remote Community School, Derby District High School, John Pujajangka-Piyirn Remote Community School (Mulan), Kururrungku Catholic School (Billiluna), Kalumburu Remote Community School, Oombulgurri Primary School, Birlirr Ngawiyiwu Catholic School (Ringer Soak), Wanalirri Catholic School (Gibb River), Wananami Remote Community School (Mt Barnett), and Dawul Remote Community School (Doon Doon).	...	Picture: These calico scrolls feature some drawings and contributions from the students from La Grange Remote Community School (Bidyadanga), Djarindjin-Lombadina Remote Community School, Sacred Heart School (Beagle Bay), and Luurnpa Remote Community School (Balgo Hills).

Picture: (from left) Margaret Neal (CPA Secretary, Scotland Branch), Clerk of the Legislative Council, Mr Malcolm Peacock, Ross Finnie MSP, the President of the Legislative Council, Hon. Barry House, Rhoda Grant MSP, Ted Brocklebank MSP (delegation leader), and Sandra White MSP.	..	President meets with Scottish Parliament Delegation I was pleased to host a Scottish Parliament delegation visited to the Parliament of Western Australia in October. The visit was especially significant because these were the first Members of the Scottish Parliament to visit Australia since the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999. The cross-party delegation, which was led by Conservative politician Ted Brocklebank, included Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary for Health, Ross Finnie; Labour Member for Highlands and Islands, Rhoda Grant; and Sandra White, from the Scottish National Party. One of the main focuses for the delegation was to learn more about minority governments and coalitions from the Western Australian experience. The visit also provided the opportunity for the members of the Legislative Council Environment and Public Affairs Committee (which considers petitions) to hear first hand of the experience of the Scottish Parliament with “E-Petitioning”. E-Petitions are under consideration by the Legislative Council, so the timing of the visit proved very useful as three Members of the delegation had recently served on the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee. The Clerk Assistant (Committees), Mr Paul Grant briefed the delegation on the Legislative Council committee system. The delegation was also able to observe an Estimate and Financial Operations Committee hearing. The delegation Provided a presentation about the Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics for Members, which has gained international interest. The delegations reflections on the progress made in the first 10 years of the new Scottish Parliament, including its innovative public engagement programs was particularly interesting.

I was privileged to meet with the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the Commission of European Communities, Mr David Daly. The joint meeting with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon Grant Woodhams, was important because it was the first Official Visit to Western Australia by his Excellency. Mr David Daly, who is originally from Dublin, was appointed as Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the Commission of European Communities in January 2009. The purpose of the visit was to help improve the mutual understanding and information between the EU and Australia. The EU and Western Australia share a very special relationship; not only does 70% of the population of Western Australia have European ancestry but the EU is also the largest source of foreign investment in Australia. Western Australia’s merchandise exports to the EU account for approximately $8.9 billion, with key export items being gold, nickel, and iron ore, which are some of our State’s key mining commodities. The EU and Australia have comparable democratic parliamentary systems of government, so it was interesting to listen to Mr Daly’s take on how the EU is dealing with security policies. The EU is also Australia’s largest scientific partner, so Mr Daly was very interested in WA’s involvement with the Australian and New Zealand Square Kilometre Array (anzSKA). The SKA aims at helping us learn about the evolution of the universe. The State Government of WA, together with CSIRO, has established a candidate core site in WA and is building the Australian SKA Pathfinder.

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Picture: The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon Grant Woodhams, Mr David Daly,Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the Commission of European Communities, and the President of the Legislative Council, the Hon Barry House.

Over the Winter Recess, together with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Clerks of both Houses of Parliament in Western Australia, I attended the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Summit. The week long Summit was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Centre in Philadelphia and is an annual event for Members of America’s legislatures.

The NCSL is a bipartisan organisation that provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most serious state and international issues. The NCSL also has a long standing tradition with international colleagues, with delegates coming from all over the world, such as: Algeria, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, China, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Namibia, Nigeria, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sudan and the United Kingdom.

The NCSL put together an exciting program, which covered topics such as media relations, the international economic downturn, providing expert advice on the economy and budgets, climate change and ethics. It was great to hear some of my international colleague’s opinion on issues affecting everyone.

The NCSL Summit was an invaluable experience for me. I was able to meet and network with my fellow international colleagues and discuss issues that were significant on an international and domestic level. One of the most interesting sessions was on ‘Ethics: Train the Trainer’. Legislators discussed the pressures, responsibilities and consequences of being a MP and making ethical choices. As part of the session, we listened to four members of Parliament speak about real situations in which a conflict arose. ‘Ethics Training’ occurs in more than 40 States and includes this type of training in their new Member orientation programs, with at least 10 States making it mandatory for all new Members.

For many years, I have been a Committee Chair. So I felt it was important for me to attend ‘Legislative Training: How to be an effective Committee Chair’. The session focused on the skills required to plan and run an effective committee meeting. Veteran legislative committee chairs walked participants through a series of case studies designed to highlight best practices and ‘tricks of the trade’.

Australia has modelled its own parliamentary event, the Australian Parliamentary Conference, on the NCSL. While the scale is obviously much smaller, the principles are similar, providing a valuable opportunity for the Professional Development of Parliamentarians. This year’s Australian Parliamentary Conference is being held at the Western Australian Parliament on November 4 - 6.

Australia and East Timor’s bilateral relationship is strong, which is reflected in history and through numerous visits between Australia and East Timor. Recently, ten Members from East Timor’s Parliamentary Committee on Economic, Finance and Anti-corruption visited Western Australia where they met with myself and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon Grant Woodhams, in the Aboriginal People’s Room at Parliament House.

As a close neighbour, Western Australia is strongly committed to East Timor’s development priorities and provides support and aid through development assistance. At the meeting, we discussed further economic cooperation between Western Australia and East Timor, noting the common interest in developing off-shore petroleum resources. We also discussed how the East Timorese Government could promote private sector investment as a stimulant for long-term development.

Australia has a special affinity with East Timor stretching back many decades.

Australia was in the front-line support for East Timor’s transition to independence, including Australia’s leadership role in the first UN monitoring mission, UNAMET (United Nations Mission in East Timor). I have also had some personal involvement with East Timor since independence in 1999. I visited East Timor twice with constituents from Margaret River, Bruce and Margaret English, who were later awarded AO’s for their work in East Timor. Whilst in East Timor, we helped source badly needed fire fighting equipment from Western Australia for three local centres. We also raised funds and supplied Western Australian volunteer tradesmen to build a school in the hills near Dili, which was destroyed following the 1999 post-ballot violence.

As part of efforts to contribute to improved governance in East Timor, a presentation was given to the Delegation by the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor General on government accountability mechanisms.

One of the great pleasures of my role is developing the State’s relationship with other countries. As most West Australians would be aware, our economic relationship with Japan has contributed strongly to the success of the State economy. Over the decades, this relationship has broadened with strong cultural and political links developing. On a personal basis, I visited Japan in 1984 as a member of the Rotary Group Study Exchange Team from WA to the Hyogo Prefecture. This fantastic experience gave me a great insight into the Japanese Nation and its people. I enjoyed my experience in Japan so much that I returned with my family for a visit with some of the families I met back in 1986.

Reflecting the strength of that relationship, I attended several events with representatives of the Japanese Government over the past few months. Prior to the Winter Recess, representatives from the both houses including myself, attended a dinner with the Japanese Consul-General, Mr Torao Sato. Mr Sato and I discussed means of deepening the relationship that has developed between the West Australian Parliament and the Kansai Region of Japan.

The Hyogo Prefecture - Western Australia Sister State relationship was established with the aim to further enhance relations between the two regions in the respective fields of politics, economics, society and culture, as well as to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between Parliamentarians. In early August, I attended the Opening of the Hyogo Cultural Centre in City Beach. The Hyogo Cultural Centre aims to promote Japanese language, culture and exchange by providing a large resource library and conducting various seminars, workshops and activities to cater for all age groups and interests. The Centre is important here in Perth to continue to strengthen the Sister-State relationship between Western Australia and the Hyogo Prefecture.

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Japanese Tatami Room, at the Hyogo Cultural Centre. Hyogo Cultural Centre's main attraction is the Japanese room with tatami mats and shoji screens. This room is utilised to display seasonal items or carry out various Japanese traditional performances such as Tea ceremony, Koto, and Japanese dance.

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I was also invited to the launch of “An Enduring Friendship, Western Australia and Japan - Past, Present and Future” which was held by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon Grant Woodhams MLA. The launch featured a collection of major scholarly essays and reflections which celebrated and commemorated the relations between Japan and Western Australia dating from the period of colonial settlement of Western Australia through to their current influence on the West Australian economy. It was edited by David Black and Sachiko Sone, who both spoke on their contributions to the book. The Launch by the Premier was held at Parliament House and attended by Members of the both the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly. Picture Left: The President entertaining the Delegation Members from the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly at Afternoon Tea with the Clerk of the Legislative Council, Mr Malcolm Peacock

Picture: The President, Hon Barry House with the Consul-General, Mr Torao Sato (left), the Speaker, the Hon Grant Woodlams, and Mr Masaru Yaota, Vice Speaker of Hyogo Prefectural Assembly.

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Picture: The President with Professor David Black, one of the Editors and contributors to the book.

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