Australia’s Speaker of the House Leads First-Ever Delegation to Nepal

An Australian parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Milton Dick, has arrived in Nepal for a three-day official visit, commencing on Tuesday. This marks a significant milestone as it is the first-ever Australian Parliamentary Delegation visit to Nepal in the over six-decade-long diplomatic relationship between the two countries, underlining the growing bilateral ties.

The delegation comprises esteemed members such as Libby Coker, Joanne Ryan, Senator Dean Smith, and Senator Ralph Babet, as per a statement issued by the Australian Embassy.

During their visit, the delegation will hold courtesy meetings with House of Representatives Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire and Chairman of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina. The primary agenda is to foster closer parliamentary engagement between the two nations.

The statement from the Australian Embassy states, “The Australian parliamentarians will join members of parliaments from the newly constituted Nepal-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group at a lunch hosted by Speaker Ghimire.”

This visit aims to fortify the multifaceted relationship between Australia and Nepal by strengthening parliamentary connections and facilitating the exchange of experiences related to parliamentary democratic practices, federalism implementation, and the promotion of good governance at all levels of government.

Additionally, the delegation plans to visit Australian-funded aid projects in Nepal, providing them with firsthand insights into Australia’s collaborative efforts to enhance subnational governance, address climate change challenges, support smallholder farmers, and improve services for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities.