On June 4th, 2025, Bússola Tech hosted a panel discussion titled “Securing Members’ Support for Modernisation Initiatives in Subnational Parliaments.” The session brought together parliamentary officials and technology experts to reflect on how digital and procedural reforms can gain, challenge, or reshape member engagement within subnational legislative institutions.

Moderated by Luís Kimaid, Executive Director of Bússola Tech, the discussion featured distinguished speakers:

• Valerie Quioc Lim, Deputy Clerk and Executive Director of Legislative Services at the Ontario Legislative Assembly (Canada);
• Tom Duncan, Clerk of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly (Australia);
• Carlos Eduardo Casa Grande, Secretary-General of the Legislative Assembly of Espírito Santo (Brazil);
• Marcos Aquino, CEO of Ágape Consulting (Brazil).

The panel began with each participant outlining their assembly’s current modernisation process and highlighting key operational challenges. From entrenched procedural traditions and member priorities outside of technology to varying levels of digital literacy among legislators and staff, the speakers provided first-hand perspectives on the realities of introducing reforms in their respective jurisdictions.

In the second segment, the discussion pivoted toward an ideal scenario: how each panellist would redesign their engagement systems from the ground up. The responses underlined the importance of regular benchmarking against peer legislatures, clear timelines and benefits in an annual innovation roadmap, early user-testing with small groups of legislators, and digital-literacy orientation for incoming members.

The third round focused on the potential risks of rapid or poorly managed modernisation. Concerns raised included the erosion of substantive committee deliberation, the creation of a digital divide among legislators, the pitfalls of standalone tools lacking strategic integration, and the danger of diminishing the human element that safeguards democratic scrutiny.

Next, the panellists examined how their current processes could be incrementally improved. They considered pragmatic enhancements, such as piloting new portals in select member offices, setting measurable benchmarks for efficiency gains, organizing quarterly “tech roundtables” to share small workflow improvements, and publishing evidence-based dashboards to demonstrate cost-effectiveness.

The discussion concluded with a final round in which each speaker shared a key “do” or “don’t” for institutions considering digital or AI-driven reforms. The closing remarks emphasised the need to schedule major procedural reviews away from election cycles, prioritise member experience through early engagement, avoid treating technology as a substitute for deliberation, and codify technology usage within internal rules to resist political backsliding.

The panel underscored the vital role of collaboration between technologists, legislative staff, and institutional leaders to ensure that any transformation remains aligned with the constitutional role and responsibilities of subnational parliaments.