55th Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference for Pacific and Australia Regions in Perth, Western Australia
Parliamentarians from the Australia and Pacific Regions have met for the 55th Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference (POCC), hosted by the Parliament of Western Australia from 6 to 10 July 2026 in Perth on a theme of ‘Parliaments and the health of democracy’.
More than 60 Presiding Officers, Speakers and Clerks from 21 Parliaments in the Pacific and Australia Regions attended the conference including Australia Federal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Bougainville, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Niue, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Australian State and Territorial Parliaments (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia).
Delegates were welcomed by the President of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, Hon. Alanna Clohesy, MLC and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, Hon. Stephen Price, MLA who said in a joint statement:
“As Parliaments continue to adapt to new challenges and public expectations, this annual conference provides a valuable forum for the exchange of ideas, the sharing of experience, and the strengthening of professional practice that enables Parliaments to function as effective democratic institutions. This year’s conference focuses on contemporary issues facing modern Parliaments, explored through both organisational and procedural perspectives. Discussions will consider procedural innovation, best practice and public engagement, reflecting the evolving expectations placed on parliamentary institutions today.”
Above: Parliamentarians at the 55th Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference (POCC) outside the Parliament of Western Australia. Photo credit: CPA Western Australia Branch.
Conference sessions examined Parliamentary conventions, Parliament as a workplace, the law and Parliament, procedures in the Chamber and the independence of the Legislature.
The annual POCC conference is hosted by a different Parliament each year for the Parliaments of Australia and the Pacific, and it is open to Presiding Officers and Clerks from Legislatures across the two Regions.
In the margins of the conference, there were also meetings held between the Parliaments of the CPA Pacific and CPA Australia Regions.
Above: CPA Deputy Secretary-General, Jarvis Matiya attended the 55th POCC where he met with Speakers, Presiding Officers and Clerks from across the Australia and Pacific Regions.
Launch of 'Pacific Parliamentary Partnerships Program'
The Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Hon. Milton Dick, MP and the CPA Deputy Secretary-General, Jarvis Matiya launched the ‘Pacific Parliamentary Partnerships Program’, a continuation of a previous project to support parliamentary strengthening in the Pacific Region through twinning between Australian Legislatures at Federal and State level with national Parliaments in the Pacific.
The twinning project supports parliamentary strengthening, training and exchanges across the two Regions.
The CPA Headquarters will be administering the updated programme from 2026 onwards under a new funding arrangement with the Australian Federal Parliament.
The next 56th Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference (POCC) is due to be hosted by Tonga in July 2027.
Please note: The annual Presiding Officers and Clerks Conference (POCC) is not a CPA event but is organised by the organised by the Australia and New Zealand Association of Clerks-at-the-Table.
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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.
For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.
