Technical Assistance Programme promotes knowledge sharing
Technical Assistance Programme promotes knowledge sharing and professional development across Pacific and Australia Regions Report on a visit by a delegation from the Northern Territory of Australia to Niue Parliament
Marianne Conaty
is the Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory of Australia, since 2013. Prior to joining the Legislative Assembly, Marianne held senior roles in the Northern Territory and Queensland Governments. She is a Solicitor and practised government law before taking on policy and program management roles. She holds degrees in Arts, Law and Public Administration.
The Northern Territory of Australia, a subnational jurisdiction, is twinned with Niue, a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand. The Northern Territory’s Electoral Act provides that its Legislative Assembly consists of 25 Members. The Niue Constitution allows for a 20 Member Legislative Assembly consisting of a representative for each of the 14 villages and 6 common roll seats. Both jurisdictions are unicameral. While sharing a similar number of Members, the jurisdictions are geographically very different. Niue is a coral island of 260 square kilometres located about 480 kilometres east of Tonga and 560 kilometres southeast of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean. The Northern Territory is over 1,349,129 square kilometres, and the third largest jurisdiction in Australia, but the least populous. In recent years there has been a series of delegations between the two jurisdictions, taking opportunities where they present to provide professional development and promote knowledge sharing. Both jurisdictions use existing funding sources to develop meaningful outcomes to the mutual satisfaction of the twinning partners. The Northern Territory
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twinning team, consisting of then Deputy Speaker Matt Conlan MLA; Marianne Conaty, Deputy Clerk; and Melissa Johnson, Editor of Debates, travelled to Niue from 16 to 19 August 2016 to deliver and train staff in the use of a sound recording system purchased by the Parliament of Niue under a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Technical Assistance Programme Grant. The visit followed training delivered to Members of the Niue Parliament by the United Nations Development Programme earlier during 2016. The delegation arrived in Niue in the afternoon of Tuesday 16 August 2016 and informally met with the Clerk of the Assembly, Mrs Moka Tano-Puleosi, for induction and confirmation of final arrangements for the programme. Wednesday’s meetings included a briefing and tour of facilities, conducted by the Clerk of the Assembly, and the Director of the Cabinet and Parliamentary Services, Mrs Christine Ioane. The Deputy Speaker and Deputy Clerk conducted courtesy calls on the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Togiavalu Pihigia; the Premier, Hon. Toke Talahi; and Cabinet Ministers, Hon. Billy Talagi and Hon. Pokatoa Sipeli.
The Editor of Debates oversaw the setting up of a Liberty sound recording system in the Chamber, providing a general overview of the system to technical and administrative staff. She demonstrated how to set up the hardware, how to use the software and record audio. Media representatives attended to take footage of the equipment being set up and tested. The equipment is designed to expedite the production of Hansard, which was previously recorded by the local radio station and then provided to the Assembly for transcription by Hansard staff. There was often a lengthy turnaround time in this recording being provided to Hansard staff. The new recording system allows staff to begin transcription immediately, providing a more timely Hansard service for Members. The Hansard recording equipment provided to the Niue Legislative Assembly is a portable system run from a laptop, allowing for the equipment to be easily and securely packed away when not in use, which is particularly important in the tropical Niuean climate. The entire system packs into a durable and waterproof case with custom made foam fittings for each hardware item.