Page 2272 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Kiribati a commitment to an open, transparent and democratic parliament, bound by the principles of good governance and accountability. The vision statement of the Kiribati parliament is “to be an effective and transparent parliament that ensures respect for human rights, democracy and good governance under a regime of the rule of law”. Those are principles that everyone in this place would agree with as well.
Of course, our parliaments do have different practices. The Kiribati parliamentary system is unique in that it is a blend of both the British and American systems, with 44 elected members, one nominated member and one ex-officio member. In contrast, we have a 25-member Assembly, with members elected using the Hare-Clark electoral system. These are interesting features of our parliamentary democracy, but overall we have more similarities than differences.
As the Speaker noted in her motion, we share some important values with the people and the parliament of Kiribati. We all value the system of constitutional parliamentary democracy, and the important role it plays in providing for representative, responsible government and the rule of law. We also share a commitment to honest and dedicated service to our communities in order to make our regions better for our constituents.
I have twice been to Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, once in a life before politics and once to attend a presiding officers conference as the Speaker of the ACT Assembly. I know my colleague Ms Le Couteur has also been, as have other members of this place. For me, those visits are indelibly etched in my memory—the thin strip of land in a vast blue ocean, the wonderful culture and hospitality of our hosts, and the contrast between the idyllic appearance of the islands and the very real challenges facing them.
Kiribati’s modern history includes Japanese occupation during World War II and the ensuing Battle of Tarawa to eject them—one of the bloodiest battles in US Marine Corps history, and of which the remnants remain visible to this day. Christmas Island was subsequently used by the US and UK governments for nuclear weapons testing in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
To stand in the middle of a low-lying atoll nation and look across the vast ocean is to truly understand the potential consequences of sea level rise, and that is why I particularly want to take a moment today to recognise that, in addition to its parliamentary responsibilities, the parliament of Kiribati faces some particular environmental challenges. As the governing parliament for a nation spread across 33 atolls and islands, climate change represents a dire and immediate threat due to sea level rise. It is important that we stand with the people of Kiribati in responding to this challenge.
We have seen so many reports warning of the dire consequences to our planet if we cannot contain a global temperature rise to two degrees above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5 degrees or less. While an additional half a degree of warming may not sound like much, for the people of Kiribati these figures are a matter of life and death. When your whole nation sits just two metres above sea level, every centimetre of sea level rise makes a huge difference.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video