Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Milton Dick paid a courtesy visit to Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, at latter’s parliamentary office on Thursday, leading a 13-member delegation from Canberra.
The delegation included Deputy Speaker Sharon Claydon MP, Labour Party member Basem Abdo, Senator Deborah O’Neill (New South Wales), Liberal Senator Andrew McLachlan (South Australia), Independent Senator Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania) and Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle.
During the meeting, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad highlighted the historic ties between Bangladesh and Australia, recalling Canberra’s support during the 1971 Liberation War.
He emphasised that stronger parliamentary cooperation could deepen government-to-government relations and foster greater people-to-people links between the two nations.
The Speaker also noted that Bangladesh has entered a new phase of parliamentary democracy, with active opposition participation helping create a more vibrant legislative environment.
Responding, Milton Dick reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s parliamentary development and strengthening democratic institutions. Both sides agreed on enhancing collaboration in education and promoting women’s empowerment within democratic processes.
Following the discussions, the Australian delegation attended a session of the National Parliament at Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad’s invitation.
They also held informal exchanges with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal, MP, and lawmakers Tahsina Rushdi and M Nasser Rahman on bilateral issues.
Senior officials from the Parliament Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accompanied the visitors and participated in the meeting.
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