COMMONWEALTH parliamentarians and clerks from all over the Asia Pacific region will converge in Nadi today for a three-day workshop to discuss how best to scrutinise government spending.
Forty representatives from eleven parliaments from the Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Malaysia, Maldives, New South Wales, Niue, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, Tasmania, and the United Kingdom will be attending the workshop which will focus on Public Accounts Committees (PACs).
Delegates will share skills, experiences, and expertise and will also compare and contrast Public Accounts Committees in different jurisdictions.
A statement from Parliament said the delegates would discuss challenges, and approaches and be encouraged to come up with ideas for improvements.
“They will also explore the most effective use of parliamentary resources, how to prepare for inquiries, questioning techniques, and cross-party collaboration,” the statement said.
Concluding on Wednesday, May 21, the workshop will be organised and delivered by the UK Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA UK) in partnership with the Parliament of Fiji.
It is the third PAC regional workshop delivered by CPA UK.
The Speaker of the Fijian Parliament Filimone Jitoko said the role of Public Accounts Committees was vital in strengthening governance, enhancing financial oversight, and fostering collaboration among our nations for a more accountable and transparent future. Chair of the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said at this time of increasing global uncertainty, value for money, control over government spending and transparency were more important than ever.
“I look forward to meeting with colleagues from across the Commonwealth to discuss the role of PACs and how we can run them as effectively as possible,” he said.
