House of Representatives Committees

| Parliamentary Joint Committee on Electoral Matters

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Preliminary Pages

Foreword

During September 2011 members of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters visited Indonesia and Tonga as part of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Committee Exchange program.

Indonesia with its population of over 200 million, and Tonga with little over 100 000 people, are demographically very different countries in the Asia Pacific region. One thing they have in common is that both are making the important transition to democratic governance, with Indonesia starting its democratic journey in 1999 and Tonga holding its first democratic election in 2010.

The delegation greatly appreciated the time and effort of the many individuals and organisations in Indonesia and Tonga that met with us during our visit. The program included a combination of high level meetings and opportunities for delegates to hear first hand individuals’ experiences of their country’s democratic progress and their aspirations for a democratic future. This was of great assistance to delegates to better appreciate the democratic transition underway in these still relatively new democracies.

Through its governance and electoral support programs, Australia is playing a role in assisting these countries to make practical democratic improvements. This visit provided a valuable opportunity for delegates to gain an appreciation of the strong relationships that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, AusAID and the Australian Electoral Commission, are building with electoral authorities and key stakeholders in the Asia Pacific.

The effective conduct of elections is an important component of good governance and viable democracies, and was of particular interest to the delegation. It is important for Australia to remain engaged in Indonesia and Tonga, and the broader Asia Pacific region, and provide the governance and electoral support needed to help our neighbours realise their democratic aspirations.

I thank my fellow delegates for their participation and commitment to the demanding program and contribution to a productive and informative delegation visit.

The Hon Alan Griffin MP

Delegation Leader


Membership of the Committee

 

Chair

Mr Daryl Melham MP

 

Deputy Chair

The Hon Alexander Somlyay MP

 

Members

The Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP

Senator Simon Birmingham

 

The Hon Alan Griffin MP

Senator Carol Brown

 

Ms Amanda Rishworth MP

Senator Helen Polley

 

 

Senator Lee Rhiannon

 

 

Senator Scott Ryan

 

 

 


Membership of the Delegation

 

Leader

The Hon Alan Griffin MP
Member for Bruce, Victoria

 

Deputy Leader

Indonesia

Tonga

 

The Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP
Member for Mackellar, New South Wales

Senator the Hon Gary Humphries
Senator for the Australian Capital Territory

 

Members

Senator Helen Polley
Senator for Tasmania

 

 

Senator Scott Ryan
Senator for Victoria

 

Secretary

Ms Samantha Mannette

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

The delegation thanks His Excellency Mr Greg Moriarty, the Ambassador to Indonesia, and High Commissioner Thomas Roth in Tonga, for providing the delegation with valuable briefings and guidance on undertaking successful visits to the respective countries.

In Jakarta, the delegation appreciated the opportunity to meet with: Vice President Boediono; Mr Irman Guzman, Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council of Indonesia; members of Commission II; Professor Djohermansyah Djohan, Director General for Regional Autonomy, Ministry of Home Affairs; members of the Indonesian Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and Indonesia-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group; and Commissioners Nuryanti, Endang and Aziz of the General Elections Commission. The delegation also met with the Director of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Indonesian media and representatives of relevant non-government organisations.

The delegation appreciates the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officers in the planning and coordination of the delegation program for its visit to Indonesia, the in-country support and briefings, and the briefings provided prior to the delegation’s departure. In particular, the delegation extends its thanks to DFAT representatives Mr Michael Bliss and Mr Julian Bowen, and AusAID representatives, Ms Victoria Coakley and Ms Elizabeth St George.

Thanks also go to the Australian Electoral Commission representative in Indonesia, Mr Patrick Satie and local AEC officer Ms Erika Widyaningsih, who provided the delegation with informative briefings on the operation of elections in Indonesia, and accompanied the delegation to polling stations during the local election in Yogyakarta on 25 September 2011.

At the time of the delegation’s visit, the then King of Tonga, His Majesty King George Tupou V, was out of the country and so it was not possible to call on His Majesty. Regrettably, in March 2012, the King passed away in Hong Kong and was succeeded by his brother, His Majesty King Tupou VI.

The delegation appreciated the opportunity to meet with: the Acting Prime Minister, the Hon Samiu Vaipulu; the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga, Lord Lasike; the Minister for Justice, the Hon Clive Edwards; and a number of Tongan parliamentarians.

In Tonga, the delegates also had interesting meetings with: Mr Barrie Sweetman, the Electoral Commissioner, and officers of the Tongan Electoral Commission and the Electoral Boundaries Commission; and members of civil society groups and local media.

The delegation offers its sincere thanks to the many individuals and organisations who generously gave their time, to meet and share their views and experiences during the visit. This was of great assistance to delegates to better appreciate the democratic transition underway in these countries, and how the Australian Government and Parliament can assist its neighbours to develop and realise their democratic goals.


List of abbreviations

 

AEC

Australian Electoral Commission

AusAID

Australian Agency for International Development

BRIDGE

Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections

CEC

Constitutional and Electoral Reform Commission

DFAT

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

DPD

Regional Representatives Council (Indonesia)

DPR

House of Representatives (Indonesia)

IFES

International Foundation of Electoral Systems

KPU

General Elections Commission

MoHA

Ministry of Home Affairs

MPR

People’s Consultative Assembly (Indonesia)

NCPR

National Committee on Political Reform

UNDP

United Nations Development Programme

 

 

 

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