The Queensland Parliament hosted its 6th Regional Sitting of Parliament in Cairns, in the far north of the Australian State from 9 to 11 May 2023. Regional Sittings of Parliament are hosted away from Brisbane, the state capital, giving people from other parts of the State the chance to experience democracy in action. A full parliamentary sitting week was held in Cairns, alongside other events including school visits, Youth Parliaments, a free community breakfast and sports sessions.

The first Regional Sitting of the Queensland Parliament was held in Townsville, North Queensland in 2002. Since then, the cities of Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton have held Regional Sittings, attracting thousands of visitors from across the regions of Queensland.

Regional Sittings are a great example of how to ‘bring Parliament to the people’ and build engagement with different communities. Similar initiatives have been established by other Commonwealth Parliaments, such as the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (South Africa), which has twice held the official opening of Parliament outside of Cape Town, the provincial capital, since 2020.