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Geneva placement
Links between the ASGP and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have been strengthened over the past few months with an ASGP project officer working at the IPU headquarters in Geneva.
The purpose of the Geneva placement is to undertake project work for the benefit of the ASGP and to facilitate contact between the IPU and ASGP in relation to IPU requests for assistance from the ASGP.
Organised at the initiative of ASGP President Ian Harris and reporting to the President, the position is being trialled from September 2004 until March 2005. Initial costs have been met by the Australian House of Representatives, with the IPU providing office space and equipment. The project officer has been working in the IPU's Division for the Promotion of Democracy under Director Martin Chungong.
Two officers from the Australian parliament, Andres Lomp (the director of the House of Representatives public information office) and Catherine Cornish (a committee secretary), have shared the placement, with Andres working in Geneva from September to December 2004 and Catherine working there from January to March 2005.
Projects that have been undertaken by the project officers to date include:
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developing the ASGP electronic bulletin Parlez ;
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establishing the new Forum pages for the ASGP website, including summaries of topical debates from recent ASGP meetings;
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developing guidelines for electronic meetings of the ASGP Executive Committee; and
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organising a questionnaire on associations of former members of parliament (the questionnaire was circulated to members of the ASGP with email access because it was initiated in response to an urgent request for information).
The project officers have also provided assistance to the IPU in relation to its activities, including a study into relations between parliament and executive government and a roundtable on free and fair elections held in November 2004.
The Executive Committee, in consultation with the IPU, is considering whether to make this position in Geneva an ongoing one," said ASGP President Ian Harris . "If we do then it will be offered on a rotational basis to the staff of ASGP member parliaments that are willing to assist with the funding of the position."
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