Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth

This episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth ’, the CPA’s Podcast, speaks to Hon. Tanya August-Phillips, Member of the Isle of Man Legislative Council since 2018 and the inaugural winner of the CPA New Parliamentarian Award in 2023.  She has been a Member of the CPA Isle of Man Branch Executive Committee as well as several Select Committees. We speak about her role as a Member...

This episode of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth was made in association with Human Coined, a podcast from Nexus PFM Consulting, hosted by Geoff Dubrow. In this episode, Hon. Michelle Haywood, a Member of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man, and Hon. Valerie Woods, CPA Small Branches Chairperson and Speaker of the National Assembly of Belize, talk about women's political repre...

What is the link between politics and sport in the Commonwealth? As both a cultural and political union, sport has been a central and evolving pillar - through the Commonwealth Games, cooperation between Sports Ministries or in promoting sustainable development.  In our extended episode released ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, we look at the past, present and future of these links - as a ven...

This episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth ’, the CPA’s Podcast, features Hon. Farah Azeem Shah, MPA, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Baluchistan, Pakistan.  The conversation explores how Farah Azeem Shah advances peacebuilding, women’s rights and parliamentary leadership.  It highlights her pivotal role in championing women’s rights legislation, as well as her broader...

This episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth ’, the CPA’s Podcast, features Hon. Lau Weng San, the 12th Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, Malaysia.  In this conversation, Speaker Lau reflects on his unique journey as one of the few non-MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Speakers in Selangor’s history, discussing how this position shapes his approach to...

What does it mean to lead as a woman in politics today? In this special fireside chat, hosted by Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Coordinator Avni Kondhia, three women Parliamentarians and CPA Officers come together for a candid and informal conversation about their journeys in public life and the realities of holding power across the Commonwealth. She spoke with Sue Lines, CPA Treasurer...

What causes social bias in AI – and how can Parliaments counter it? As AI is adopted across the world, prejudices and biases – sexism, racism, classism – are reproduced in its outputs. What causes these biases, and how can Parliamentarians counter them? To find out, we spoke to Norul Mohamed Rashid, Policy Advisor at UN Women  and Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes, Policy Research Lead at the United Nations...

Is Artificial Intelligence a threat to democracy? As AI is adopted across the globe, we're already seeing some of the negative effects that this is having on democracy, from deepfakes to climate issues to the concentration of corporate power. In this episode, we spoke with Supheakmungkol Sarin, co-founder of AI Safety Asia and Michael Bąk, Head of Policy at AI Safety Asia. They discussed how...

This episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth ’, the CPA’s Podcast, was made in association with ‘Human Coined’, a Podcast series hosted by Geoff Dubrow, Founder and Principal Consultant at Nexus PFM Consulting Inc., a consulting firm specialising in horizontal approaches to policy issues, bringing together Parliaments, Ministries of finance, civil society organisations and oth...

In this episode, we’re joined by Hon. Mmabatho Tembe, Deputy Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature and one of the youngest to ever hold the role. Her story charts a compelling rise – from community organising and council chambers to presiding over legislative proceedings in one of South Africa’s most dynamic provinces. As a young woman navigating political power, public service and institutiona...

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, speaks to Hon. Donna Skelly, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Canada – the first woman in Ontario to hold this prestigious position. We speak about her role as a Presiding Officer and Member of Parliament; the barriers facing women in politics and how to overcome them; the role of ‘modern’ Common...

This episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth ’, the CPA’s Podcast, was made in association with ‘Human Coined’, a Podcast series hosted by Geoff Dubrow, Founder and Principal Consultant at Nexus PFM Consulting Inc., a consulting firm specialising in horizontal approaches to policy issues, bringing together Parliaments, Ministries of finance, civil society organisations and oth...

In this episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA spoke with three young people shaping the future of politics.   Hon. Eve Borg Bonello MP became one of the world’s youngest elected Legislators in 2022, when she was elected to the Parliament of Malta at the age of 18. Zaria Ingham and Kemuel Pascall represented Turks and Caicos and Trinidad and Tobago respectively at th...

Democracy is in retreat across the globe. To try to understand why, we talked to His Excellency Danny Faure, former President of the Seychelles and Professor Maya Tudor, Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.    Danny Faure discusses his role as the head of several Commonwealth Election Observation Missions stretching from Antigua...

In this episode, we sit down with Hon. Shrimati Nayana Motamma, the youngest woman in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, legal professional and trailblazing Dalit woman redefining Indian politics. She discusses her route from corporate lawyer to grassroots political campaigns, and how her political career has been defined by courage, identity and generational legacy. We explore how she navigates...

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, features Rt Hon. Dame Emily Thornberry, UK MP continually since 2005, in conversation with Natasa Pantelic, who has been working in and around the UK Parliament for over 20 years. The conversation explores the global challenges we face in 2025 and their impact on multilateralism, the role that the ‘modern’ Common...

This special episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth ’ speaks to Hon. Khurram Ijaz Chattha, a Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Pakistan. In 2024 Hon. Chattha was selected as the winner of the Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year because of his "dedicated promotion of good governance, placing strong emphasis on the rule of law, transparency and accountabili...

In this episode of ‘ Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’ , South African MP, Hon. Steve Letsike discusses the enduring impact of colonial laws on LGBT+ rights in South Africa and across the Commonwealth. Drawing from her roles as Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and Founder of Access Chapter 2, Hon. Steve Letsike speaks to the paradox of legal progress an...

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, speaks to Nusrat Ghani, MP, UK Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Recorded at the 1st joint CPA Asia South-East Asia Regional Conference in Lahore, Pakistan February 2025, Nusrat Ghani speaks about her path into politics, how best to support MPs and get the right type of people intereste...

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, speaks to Hon. Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Pakistan. We speak about his path in politics towards becoming Speaker, how to encourage sustainable and inclusive growth across the Commonwealth, the historic occasion of the first CPA Asia South-East Asia joint Regional Conf...

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, speaks to Senator Crystal Drakes, a Member of the Senate of Barbados. Recorded at the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in New South Wales in November 2024, Senator Crystal Drakes speaks about the recent transition from a monarchy to a republic in Barbados and what it means for democracy and nation...

This episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, speaks to Hon. Kate Doust, a Member of the Legislative Council from the Parliament of Western Australia. We speak about her role as a Presiding Officer and Member of Parliament; how her trade union background has helped in her career; the barriers facing women in politics and how to overcome them; the role of ‘mo...

In The Juggle: How Politicians Prioritise, a special World Parliament Day mini-series of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth , we peel back the layers of what Parliaments do and consider a simple concept that lies at the heart of parliamentary democracy – representation. As an elected representative, the job of a politician is to collect the views of the people they represent, and use...

In The Juggle: How Politicians Prioritise, a special World Parliament Day mini-series of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth , we peel back the layers of what Parliaments do and consider a simple concept that lies at the heart of parliamentary democracy – representation. As an elected representative, the job of a politician is to collect the views of the people they represent, and use...

On a special episode of Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, the former Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, sits down with CPA Secretary-General and former UK MP, Stephen Twigg, for a wide-ranging conversation.  Gillard, who served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2013: praises affirmative action as a proven solution to increase the representation of women in Parliament (07:16) war...