Parliament to adopt Australia’s legislative system

Uganda’s Parliament plans to adopt components of Australia’s legislative system to strengthen parliamentary democracy, with a focus on digital transformation, records management, institutional memory and professional development of staff, reports the Daily Monitor. The commitment followed an official visit to Australia by a delegation of Ugandan MPs on Friday, which they said was aimed at turning parliamentary diplomacy into practical institutional co-operation. The legislators held discussions with their Australian counterparts on how technology, knowledge management and institutional systems can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Parliament. The discussions covered parliamentary technology, archives and records management, legislative research, digital systems, artificial intelligence, knowledge management and capacity building for parliamentary staff. Australia-Uganda Parliamentary Friendship Group chairperson Ofwono Opondo P’Odel, said Uganda was particularly interested in Australia’s experience as Parliament seeks to build a more modern and effective legislature. ‘Modern legislatures are built on strong knowledge systems, digital capability and skilled professionals,’ he said. He said the lessons could help Uganda strengthen legislative oversight, preserve institutional memory and improve Parliament’s contribution to national development. The legislators explored possible areas of cooperation in mining governance, critical minerals, technology transfer, investment facilitation and parliamentary digital systems. Australia’s experience in managing legislative records and parliamentary knowledge was also identified as an area from which Uganda could benefit as it seeks to improve access to information and preserve institutional records.