(L to R) Speaker of the House, the Hon Tony Smith MP, Speaker of New Zealand, the Right Honourable David Carter MP and President of the Senate, Senator Stephen Parry

President of the Senate Senator Stephen Parry and Speaker of the House of Representatives the Hon Tony Smith MP were recently joined in Parliament by the Speaker of New Zealand, the Right Honourable David Carter MP.

Mr Carter’s visit allowed him to refresh his close relations with Speaker Smith and President Parry – very important relationships for a Speaker with no State-level colleagues to confer with. The visit also gave Mr Carter an opportunity to discuss twinning relations and parliamentary training and assistance for Pacific Island nations with the Parliament of Australia, ACT Assembly and the Parliament of Queensland.

In addition to his visit to Canberra, Mr Carter visited Brisbane and the Gold Coast as part of his trip. In Brisbane, he met with various officials regarding disaster emergency management. This was a particularly important meeting for Mr Carter given he represents the Christchurch region, which was affected by bushfires in February.

Mr Carter also met with officials in Brisbane to discuss preparations for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.