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Virtual Parliament
With the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in the restriction of many forms of public gathering, the impact on Parliaments has been a topic of discussion.
Of particular interest is the potential for ‘virtual Parliaments’ with members gathering through technology rather than appearing in the chamber in person. There have been a number of experiments around the world – with the Welsh Assembly meeting via Zoom, and the European Parliament trialling email voting.
One advocate of this approach has been the Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly Jonathan O’Dea, who makes the point that Parliament sitting is in the public interest, and a virtual Parliament could act as a backstop when physical gathering is not possible.
