Of Current Interest
As you would be aware my term as Clerk of the House of Representatives concludes on 5 December 2009. The Speaker has recently approved the process for selection the next Clerk.
For the first time the Clerk will be selected through an open selection process. Under the Parliamentary Service Act 1999, the decision is for the Speaker, after consultation with certain Members. The advertisement of the Clerk’s position will be in the national (Australian) press on 23 May 2009.
A copy of the text of the advertisement and the job description is available at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/dept/employ/index.htm .
At its meeting on Tuesday 14 October, the ASGP elected Dr Hafnaoui AMRANI, Secretary General of the Council of the Nation of Algeria as its new President. Dr Amrani will take up his post from Thursday 16 October, after the close of the Geneva meeting.
At the ASGP session in Cape Town, Mr Brissi Lucas GUEHI, Secretary General of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire, presented a communication on the African Network of Parliaments Staff 'Reseau Africain des Personnels des Parlements (RAPP)'. The main purposes of this network are to contribute to: parliament staff training; continuous improvement of their professional skills, and inter-parliamentary cooperation. 23 Parliaments and 16 countries, essentially African francophone states, are currently members. Further information on this Network is available at http://www.rappafrik.org.
New Members
At the ASGP session in Addis Ababa (6 - 10 April 2009), the following new members were accepted:
Mr Abdelhamid Badis BELKAS
Secretary General of the National People’s Assembly of Algeria
(replacing Mr Boubeker ASSOUL)
Mr Pedro Agostinho de NERI
Secretary General of the National Assembly of Angola
(replacing Mr Diogo de Jesus)
Mr Gegham GHARIBJANIAN
Secretary General of the National Assembly of Armenia
(replacing Mr Tigran Balayan)
Mr Alan THOMPSON
Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services of Australia
(replacing Hilary Penfold)
Mr Pranab CHAKRABORTY
Additional Secretary of the Bangladesh Parliament
Mr Thebenala THEBENALA
Acting Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly of Botswana
(replacing Mrs Barbara DITHAPO who became Acting Clerk)
Mr Djonata DJATTO
Secretary General of the National Assembly of Chad
(This country is joining the ASGP for the first time)
Mr José Óscar Armando PINEDA NAVAS
Secretary General of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
(This country is joining the ASGP for the first time)
Mr Sherlock E. ISAACS
Clerk of the National Assembly of Guyana
(replacing Mr F. A. Narain)
Mr Achmad DJUNED
Deputy Secretary General of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia
(replacing Mrs Nining Indra Saleh who became Secretary General)
Mr Said MOKADEM
Secretary General of the Maghreb Consultative Council
(This Council is joining the ASGP for the first time)
Mr Johannes JACOBS
Secretary General of the National Assembly of Namibia
(replacing Mr Simon Nama Goabab)
Mr Gheorghe BARBU
Secretary General of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania
(replacing Mr Titu Gheorghiof)
Mr Sosthène CYITATIRE
Secretary General of the Senate of Rwanda
(replacing Mr Fidel Rwigamba)
Mr Fepuleai Attila Manutoipule ROPATI
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa
(replacing Dr Fetuao Toia ALAMA)
Mr Baye Niass CISSÉ
Deputy Secretary General of the National Assembly of Senegal
Ms Mojca PRELESNIK
Secretary General of the National Assembly of Slovenia
(replacing Mr Lovro Loncar)
Mr Matjaž PLEVELJ
Deputy Secretary General of the National Assembly of Slovenia
Mr Mohamed Hussein NUR
Deputy Director General of the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia
Mr Yambadjoï KANSONGUE
Secretary General of the National Assembly of Togo
(replacing Mr Manondoh Kokou Kama)