"Intensive work"

State parliament gives itself top marks at the start of the vacations

Nine plenary sessions and 126 committee meetings were held in the 2023/24 working year.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

The Upper Austrian state parliament has been on summer recess since last Thursday and will reconvene in the fall. The three presidents of the state parliament have now taken stock of the 2023/24 working year - and gave the parliament a good report card. "Far-reaching resolutions" were passed.

The First President of Parliament, Max Hiegelsberger (ÖVP), highlighted three legislative projects that have been passed since last autumn: the new hunting law, the law against light pollution - the only one of its kind in Austria to date - and the amendment to the Dog Owners Act. They were examples of "how intensively work is done in committees".

Half of the resolutions unanimous
The MPs met 126 times in the various committees. There were 103 written questions, 72 oral questions and three urgent questions before a total of 159 resolutions were passed. Incidentally, 79 of these - almost half - were passed unanimously.

"Model federal state"
This fact prompted the Second President of Parliament, Sabine Binder (FPÖ), to describe Upper Austria as a "model federal state": "The cooperation of all parties for the good of our country is characterized by respect and appreciation, which also makes politics a pleasure."

There are also critical tones
Peter Binder (SPÖ), the third president of the provincial parliament, also believes that the "often praised good cooperation has been practised again". However, he is also critical: Many opportunities to "flood the state parliament with democracy" had remained unrealized, numerous initiative motions "simply whipped through". "And far too often we still make too little use of our own scope, wait for or request action from the federal government by means of resolutions," says Binder.