Malaysian delegation with the Speaker, the President of the Senate and the Clerk of the House.

This September, the Australian Parliament welcomed a delegation from the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament, the Dewan Rakyat. This was the first parliamentary delegation to visit Australia from Malaysia since national elections were held and a new government elected in May 2018.

The delegation consisted of senior members of parliament as well as parliamentary officials and was led by the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Dato' Mohamad Ariff bin Md Yusof MP.

Over a period of three days, the delegation from Malaysia participated in a program that focused on learning about Australia’s parliamentary processes, procedures and institutions. They attended presentations given by officials of the Parliament and also met with officials from the Australian Electoral Commission, the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority and the Department of Finance.

The Speaker and delegation attended an official dinner hosted by the Hon Tony Smith MP, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senator the Hon Scott Ryan, President of the Senate. The Australia/Malaysia Parliamentary Friendship group also hosted a function for the delegation, helping strengthen the relationship between parliamentarians of the two countries.

While connections between the two nations are already strong and longstanding, the visit reinforced the positive and productive relationship between Malaysia and Australia for the benefit of both countries and the wider region.