The Speaker of the Victoria Legislative Assembly in Australia, Hon. Maree Edwards MP visited The Palace of Westminster in April and met her counterpart, Lindsay Hoyle, in Speaker’s House.

Welcomed by CPA UK, her Assembly Clerk, Bridget Noonan, and her adviser, Tom Bennett was with her. 

Their visit came at a politically significant moment, taking place just days before Australia’s Federal Election, which saw Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party win a second term in government. 

Making parliamentary spaces and processes more accessible for all parliamentarians and officials, both in the state of Victoria and in the UK parliament, was a focal point of their conversation.   

Accessibility has gained greater prominence in the Victoria Legislative Assembly after one of its members, Emma Vulin, announced that she had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2024.

Since then, Emma has worked closely with the Speaker’s office to implement adjustments

Hon. Edwards with the Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP at Speaker's House