A local member for parliament will represent Australia on the international stage this weekend.
Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell will represent the Australian Parliament as part of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) interparliamentary assembly in Vientiane, Laos this weekend.
Mr Birrell was selected by leadership to be the Coalition member of the two-person delegation at the international talks, which are aimed at fostering Australia's trade and security relationships with the ten members of ASEAN.
Mr Birrell said it was critically important to maintain strong relationships with the nation’s nearest neighbours in South-East Asia.
"The ASEAN countries comprise a combined population of 600 million people, and it is vitally important that we ensure that this part of the world remains stable and increasingly prosperous,” Mr Birrell said.
“Of particular interest to the constituents in our electorate of Nicholls is the ongoing agricultural trade opportunities in this region.
"I'm looking forward to meeting various leaders of the ASEAN countries and ensuring they know that Australia supports strengthening the current economic and security partnerships we have,” he said.
The assembly will run for four days.