About the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Australia Region
Australia is one of the founding members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). There are nine Australia Region branches: Australian Capital Territory; Commonwealth of Australia; New South Wales; Northern Territory; Queensland; South Australia; Tasmania; Victoria; and Western Australia.
The Australia Region Management Committee for the CPA comprises representatives from each of the branches and meets on an annual basis to consider the forward program of activities for the CPA in the region. This includes regional conferences, which are usually held in conjunction with the Pacific Region of the CPA. Queensland is currently the chair of the Australia Region Management Committee. The Chair rotates annually among the Region’s branches.
Three Regional Representatives from each CPA Region sit on the CPA International Executive Committee. The current Australian representatives are: Senator Hon Sue Lines, President of the Senate (Commonwealth Parliament of Australia) and Hon Mark Shelton MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (Tasmania).
The Australia Region also has a Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Steering Committee comprising one female parliamentarian from each branch. The Committee plans the work of CWP in the Region. The current Chair of CWP Australia is Hon Kate Doust MLC from the Legislative Council of Western Australia. More information on CWP Australia Region can be obtained from the CWP website.
- Chair of the Australia Region Management Committee
- Regional Representatives
- Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians
- Small Branches Network
- Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities
Senator the Hon Sue Lines President of the Senate, Commonwealth Parliament of Australia
Senator Lines has been a Senator for Western Australia since 2013. She was elected the President of the Senate on the day of the opening of the 47th Parliament.
Senator Lines is the first female Labor President of the Senate and becomes the second only female President following the election of Liberal Senator Margaret Reid in 1996.
In her time in the Senate, Sue has represented Australia at the United Nations Women’s Forum in New York City, delivered statements as national delegation leader at the Women Political Leaders Reykjavik Global Forum, produced reports calling for gender equality at the Inter Parliamentary Union and, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
The Australian Region Management Committee (ARMC) manages the affairs of the CPA Australia Region in accordance with the Regional Rules. The position of Chair is rotated between the branches and appointed annually serving from the annual ARMC meeting until the following ARMC when the next Chair commences their term.
Senator the Hon Sue Lines President of the Senate, Commonwealth Parliament of Australia
Senator Lines has been a Senator for Western Australia since 2013. She was elected the President of the Senate on the day of the opening of the 47th Parliament.
Senator Lines is the first female Labor President of the Senate and becomes the second only female President following the election of Liberal Senator Margaret Reid in 1996.
In her time in the Senate, Sue has represented Australia at the United Nations Women’s Forum in New York City, delivered statements as national delegation leader at the Women Political Leaders Reykjavik Global Forum, produced reports calling for gender equality at the Inter Parliamentary Union and, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
The Hon Mark Shelton MP Speaker of the House of Assembly, Parliament of Tasmania
Mark was first elected to the House of Assembly in March 2010 as the Member for Lyons.
He and his wife Merrilyn live in the small township of Bracknell and they have three adult children and seven grandchildren. Mark has a very strong background in primary industries, operating a 200 acre property at Bracknell with his brother.
Marks maintains a strong desire and passion to work hard for regional Tasmania and the continued development of our small businesses, agriculture and forestry sectors. He knows the importance of a secure job and a community that supports its own.
Since his election to the House of Assembly in 2010, Mark has held a number of positions in the Liberal Government including:
He also held the shadow portfolios of Police and Emergency Services, Sport & Recreation, Racing, Consumer Affairs, Forestry and Regional Development in Opposition.
From 2003 to 2010 Mark was the Mayor of the Meander Valley Council, and as a former TAFE and Adult Education teacher in automotive studies, he is passionate about developing the skills through education that the next generation will need. He has also extensive experience in managing small businesses.
Mark is Patron and supporter of many sporting organisations and with a long sporting career in both football and cricket; he is a big believer in participation in team sports, not just for the physical and social benefits, but for the mental health benefits as well.
He is also a passionate supporter of many charities, and in 2021 Mark completed a second 200 kilometre fundraising walk from Launceston to Hobart to raise funds for the statewide disability support service St Giles and was able to raise more than $20,000 on each occasion for the charity. St Giles provides caring and professional support to Tasmanian families who have loved ones with a disability.
Hon Kate Doust MLCChairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Australia Region
Kate Doust was first elected to the Legislative Council of Western Australia in 2001 . Ms Doust was elected President of the Legislative Council in May 2017, the first woman to be elected as President of the Legislative Council in Western Australia. As the first woman Presiding Officer of the Parliament, she introduced International Women’s Day Celebrations to the Parliament and the establishment of a family room for members and staff of the Parliament of Western Australia.
Kate is the inaugural winner of the Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Award 2022, in recognition of her long parliamentary service as well as working to promote women and people with disabilities in her community. The award also recognises her contributions to the work of the CPA (including acting as a Mentor during programmes), her commitment to the diversity of her community, the work she has undertaken in addressing and combatting domestic violence, and her approach in embracing innovation and new ideas in the Parliament of Western Australia. Kate has a keen interest in supporting women in the workplace and is a champion for women in science and technology.
The CWP network provides a means of building the capacity of women elected to Parliament to be more effective in their roles, improving the awareness and ability of all Parliamentarians, male and female, and encouraging them to include a gender perspective in all aspects of their role - legislation, oversight and representation and helping Parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions.
Speaker Joy Burch MLA Chair of the Small Branches Network
In August 2022 she was appointed Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Branches network.
Previously the network’s Vice-Chair, Ms Burch takes on this significant role in addition to her responsibilities as Speaker of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly and member for Brindabella.
The Small Branches network, established in 1981, is a group of 43 of the world’s smallest national-and state-level parliaments, harnesses the collective power of small legislatures to tackle big problems. The group also supports new, often small, parliaments to develop strong, resilient democratic processes.
Ms Liesl Tesch AM MP Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) Network Regional Champion
Ms Tesch is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, elected to represent the seat of Gosford in the 2017 election.
Ms Tesch became an incomplete paraplegic after a mountain bike accident at the age of 19..
She competed in her national wheelchair basketball team at five paralympics, winning three medals, and was the first woman to play the sport professionally.
She took up sailing in 2010, winning gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Before entering politics, Ms Tesch worked as a high school teacher. In 2010, she co-founded Sports Matters, a charity that promotes sport for people with disabilities in developing countries.
The CPwD network was established by the CPA to support Parliamentarians with disabilities to be more effective in their roles and to help improve awareness of disability issues amongst all Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff. To find out more about the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network, please click here.
International
The CPA is an international community of Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance and parliamentary practice. The Association is made up of over 180 legislatures divided up between nine geographic regions of the Commonwealth: Africa, Asia, Australia, British Islands and Mediterranean (BIM), Canada, the Caribbean, the Americas and Atlantic (CAA), India, the Pacific, South-East Asia. Each region engages in its own programme of activities. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice.
The CPA includes Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), which encourages female representation in parliaments and consideration of gender issues within CPA programs and activities. A steering committee for the CWP, comprising one representative from each region, plans the forward work program of the CWP. The current Chairperson of the CWP Steering Committee is the Hon. Dr Zainab Gimba MP, Federal Parliament of Nigeria.
The CPA comprises nine regions: Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific; South-East Asia.
9 Regions
180 Branches
54 Countries
17000 Members
- President of the Association
- Vice-President of the Association
- Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee
- Vice-Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee
- CPA Treasurer
- Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians
- Small Branches
- Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD)
- Secretary-General
Hon Ben Franklin, MLC
President of the Association
President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales
Ben Franklin is an Australian politician who served as as a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from March 2015 until March 2019, representing the National Party. He resigned in 2019 to contest the Legislative Assembly seat of Ballina, but was subsequently re-appointed in May 2019 to fulfil his previous role. He served as the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Minister for the Arts, and the Minister for Regional Youth between December 2021 and March 2023. He became the President of the New South Wales Legislative Council in May 2023.
Prior to his election, Franklin served as the State Director of the National Party between 2008 and 2015 and was also a Communications Director at UNICEF Australia.
He studied a BA at the University of Sydney and is a former President of the NSW Young Liberals.
Role of the President The CPA President was appointed on behalf of the CPA New South Wales Branch ahead of the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, due to be held in November 2024 in Sydney, Australia. The President of the Association is typically the Presiding Officer of the next CPC host Branch. They act as the honorary head of the Association and their duties are to preside over the CPA General Assembly and to Chair the Elections Committee.
Vacant
Role of the Vice-President The CPA Vice-President is typically the Presiding Officer of the host branch of the next but one Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.
Hon Ian Liddell-Grainger MP
Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee
Member of the UK Parliament
Hon Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP was elected as the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee in August 2022 at the 65th CPC. Previously he was the Acting CPA Vice-Chairperson from 26 March 2021, following the resignation of his predecessor, Hon John Ajaka, MLC, President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. Following the passing of the CPA Chairperson, Hon Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP on 20 April 2021, Hon Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP became the Acting CPA Chairperson.
Hon Ian Liddell-Grainger MP was elected to the UK Parliament at the 2001 General Election for the seat of Bridgwater in Somerset (boundary changes created the new seat of Bridgwater and West Somerset in 2010).
He has been a Member of the International Development Committee since March 2020. He has also served on a number of Parliamentary Committees including Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art; Environmental Audit Committee; Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee; Scottish Affairs Committee; and Public Administration Committee. He chairs a number of All-Party Parliamentary Groups in the UK Parliament on Energy Studies, Nuclear Energy, Pharmaceuticals, Dyslexia and Tax.
Before entering Parliament, he ran a 250-acre farm in the Scottish Borders before becoming the Managing Director of his family’s property management and development company. He was commissioned in the Territorial Army where he was promoted to Major, serving with 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. He was also elected as a District Councillor on Tynedale District Council in Northumberland.
Role and Powers of the Chairperson The role and authority of the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee emanates from the Constitution of the CPA. As a document it serves to identify the aims, responsibilities and divisions of power between the various bodies of the Association. Although not the most supreme body of the Association, the CPA Executive Committee is empowered to lead and manage the Association’s affairs and is accountable to the General Assembly of the Association. The role of the Chairperson is to be a spokesperson for the Association at relevant forums; provide leadership and direction to the CPA Executive Committee; and provide ongoing support and guidance to the CPA Secretary-General.
Hon Arthur Holder
Vice-Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee
Speaker of the House of Assembly of Barbados
Hon Arthur Holder was elected member of the Barbados House of Assembly in 2018. Immediately after being elected he was appointed the Speaker of the Barbados House of Assembly.
Role of the Vice-Chairperson The position of CPA Vice-Chairperson is for a term of one year and the holder is also a Member of the CPA Coordinating Committee. The CPA Vice-Chairperson is chosen from within the CPA Executive Committee and the Member remains as a Regional Representative for their CPA Region.
Hon Shri Anurag Sharma, MP
CPA Treasurer
Lok Sabha, Parliament of India
Hon. Shri Anurag Sharma, MP is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician and Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Parliament of India from the Jhansi-Lalitpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He was first elected in 2019.
Role of the CPA Treasurer During the 65th CPA General Assembly which took place at the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Canada, Members of the CPA endorsed the appointment of Hon. Shri Anurag Sharma, MP (India Union) as the new CPA Treasurer (2022-2025). The CPA Treasurer, who is a Member of the Association nominated by the CPA Executive Committee, is appointed for three years by the General Assembly and works with the CPA Secretary-General and the CPA Headquarters Secretariat to monitor the finances of the Association. The CPA Treasurer also joins the Trustees board of the Association and oversees the Working Capital Fund and Conference Assistance Fund.
Hon Dr Zainab Gimba MP
Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP)
Member of the Federal Parliament of Nigeria
Hon. Zainab Gimba is currently the Chairperson of the CWP Africa Region. She started her public service career as a Lecturer, in the Department of Public Administration, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria in 2002. Before entering Parliament, she had from 2011-2018 served as Commissioner in charge of Poverty Alleviation and Youth Empowerment, Universal Basic Education Board and Water Resources in Borno, Nigeria. Her public service was rewarded when her people elected her in 2019 to the Nigeria House of Representatives.
She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master of Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri and a PhD in Public Administration and Policy Analysis from the University of Abuja. Hon. Gimba has received many awards and recognitions from professional and Trade Union bodies for her service in community development and empowerment of vulnerable women.
Role of the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) The Chairperson of the CWP was elected for a three-year term at the CWP Business Meeting at the seventh triennial conference of the CWP that took place in Halifax, Canada as part of the wider 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in 2022. More information on the CWP and its governance structure can be found here .
Ms Joy Burch, MLA
Chairperson of CPA Small Branches
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory
Ms Joy Burch was elected as the CPA Small Branches Chairperson in August 2022 at the 38th CPA Small Branches Conference in Halifax, Canada. Previously, she assumed the role of Acting CPA Small Branches Chairperson in February 2021 upon the resignation of the previous CPA Small Branches Chairperson, Hon. Niki Rattle (Cook Islands). Joy Burch was at the time the Vice-Chairperson of the CPA Small Branches Steering Committee and so assumed the role of Acting CPA Small Branches Chairperson until the next CPA Small Branches Conference.
As CPA Small Branches Chairperson, Joy Burch also becomes a member of the CPA Executive Committee and the CPA Coordinating Committee.
Role of the CPA Small Branches Chairperson Under CPA election rules only delegates from CPA Small Branches to the next Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will take part in the vote to elect a new CPA Small Branches Chairperson. The election of the new Chairperson of Small Branches takes place at the CPA Small Branches Conference due to be held as part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. Of the over 180 Branches of the CPA, forty-three Branches are classified as ‘Small Branches’ which are defined as jurisdictions having a population below 1 million people. The CPA Headquarters Secretariat works closely with CPA Small Branches in all Regions of the CPA to identify their unique needs and requirements in parliamentary strengthening, development and cooperation. More information on the CPA Small Branches network and its governance structure can be found here .
Hon Laura Kanushu Opori
Chairperson of Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD)
Parliament of Uganda
Hon. Laura Kanushu is a Ugandan lawyer, politician and legislator. She represents people with disabilities in the Parliament of Uganda, where she is a member of the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Her career as a human rights advocate has focused especially for people with disabilities and she is the Executive Director of Legal Action for People with Disabilities (LAPD). She is an Executive Member of the Uganda Women's Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) as the people with disabilities representative.
In the Parliament of Uganda, she is a Member of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline and she is also a Member of the Gender Labour and Social Development Committee.
Role of the CPwD Chairperson Hon Laura Kanushu, MP (Uganda) was elected as the CPwD Chairperson at the CPwD Regional Champions meeting held in the margins of the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Halifax, Canada in August 2022. In the same year, the CPwD Chairperson also became an Officer of the Association and a Members of the CPA Executive Committee.
Mr Stephen TwiggSecretary-General of the CPA
Stephen Twigg was appointed as the 8th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and took up this position from 1 August 2020.
The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg is a former UK Parliamentarian, who was previously elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom as a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2005 (Enfield Southgate) and from 2010 to 2019 (Liverpool West Derby). During his parliamentary career, he held several senior positions including Chairperson of the International Development Select Committee, Minister for Schools and a range of Shadow Front Bench roles.
Prior to his parliamentary career, Stephen Twigg studied at Balliol College, Oxford University, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He became the youngest President of the National Union of Students in 1990-92 and was then elected as a Local Councillor in the London Borough of Islington. Following the 2019 General Election, Stephen Twigg was instrumental in setting up the International Parliamentary Network for Education and was actively involved in parliamentary strengthening with both Global Partners Governance and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
Role of the Secretary-General The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association and, in that capacity, administers its affairs and manages the staff of its CPA Headquarters Secretariat. They are primarily responsible for representing the Association and promoting its aims and objectives; maintaining close links with the CPA Branches and CPA Regions, and providing advice and guidance on their activities and management; acting as Secretary to meetings of the CPA Executive Committee, the General Assembly and the Plenary Conference, and undertaking such other duties as are assigned by the General Assembly, the CPA Executive Committee or its Chairperson.