7 July 2015

Women parliamentarians gather in Sydney for regional conference

Members of Parliament Jan Logie and Sue Moroney will be in Sydney this week representing the New Zealand Parliament at the inaugural conference of the Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentarians (CWP) Australia Region.

The CWP is one of world’s largest international women’s organisations, founded by women members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 1989 to discuss ways to increase female representation and participation in parliaments.

The CWP aims to raise awareness amongst members and communicate with the wider public about the status of women in politics, look at what can be gained through increased female participation, and encourage younger women to believe they can make a difference through politics. Active branches of the CWP exist across the Australia and Pacific regions, and members benefit from sharing experiences and building networks.

The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, Rt Hon David Carter, is pleased that New Zealand will be attending the conference, alongside members from throughout Australia and the Pacific.

“The representation and participation of women in parliament is one of the indicators of a healthy and highly-functioning representative democracy. It is very important that we invest time in considering and acting on the factors that have inhibited women’s representation. I am pleased to see that the programme looks at a range of issues including the practical aspects of being a member of parliament, such as dealing with the media and office dynamics,” the Speaker said.

Ms Moroney will speak on a panel about toxic workplaces and dealing with unacceptable behaviour and Ms Logie will speak on time and office management in the parliament.

The conference takes place at the Parliament of New South Wales from 9 – 10 July.

ENDS

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