Alan Cadman (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House:

(1)

notes the maturing relationship between Vietnam and Australia, the high-level contacts between Prime Ministers, Australia’s development cooperation program of approximately $81 million per year and the strong people-to-people links;

(2)

notes continuing international concern about human rights issues in Vietnam, including gaoling, administrative detention and harassment of human rights activists for their advocacy of democracy and religious freedom;

(3)

notes the importance of addressing the cases of individuals such as The Most Venerable Thich Quang Do and Thich Huyen Quang, Hoa Hao Elder Mr Le Quang Liem, Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, Dr Pham Hong Son, journalists Nguyen Khac Toan and Hguyen Vu Binh and many ethnic Montagnard people such as Siu Boch, A Brih and Y Tim Bya;

(4)

calls on the Vietnamese Government to observe its international obligations on human rights, including the provision of free and fair elections; and

(5)

notes the Australian Government’s active support for, and promotion of, democratic freedoms and human rights in Vietnam, including through the annual human rights dialogue and other cooperation programs, and encourages the Government to continue these efforts.

The motion I have moved notes the maturing relationship between Australia and Vietnam and the high-level contacts we have had but also notes the international concern regarding human rights in Vietnam and mentions the importance of addressing individual cases in line with the international understanding of human rights and the treatment of individuals. It calls on the Vietnamese government to observe certain international obligations and notes the Australian government’s support for the improvement in governance and the promotion of democratic freedoms and human rights in Vietnam.

It is 30 years since the first Vietnamese refugees arrived in Australia, and now 177,000 Vietnamese people make a wonderful contribution to Australia. Over those 30 years, the Soviet Union has changed; it has become democratic, broken up and taken a new form. China is changing quickly. This motion is about the slowness of change in Vietnam. Whilst there is progress, it is not fast enough. Although there have been the changes I have mentioned, there need to be more. The warm relationship between Vietnam and Australia is a maturing relationship, as witnessed by the Prime Minister’s visit to Vietnam and Prime Minister Khai’s visit to Australia. This motion also relates to Australia’s aid program, the development cooperation between Australia and Vietnam of $81 million per annum, and the consistent economic growth and entry into the World Trade Organisation by Vietnam. But this motion relates very strongly to the failure of Vietnam in so many ways to pick up some of the basic tenets of an open and free democracy.

The statement by what has come to be known as Bloc 8406, made on 8 April 2006, was a statement made by 118 democracy activists within Vietnam. What those activists spoke about was the need for change in Vietnam. They were brave and courageous people to make this public statement. The four basic tenets that this group of 118 freedom-loving individuals based their statement on were, firstly, the need for freedom of information and opinion, as defined by the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; secondly, freedom to assemble, form associations, political parties, vote and stand for elected offices; thirdly, freedom to participate in independent labour unions and the right to legitimate strikes; and, fourthly, freedom of religion, as defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In my motion are the names of a number of leading Buddhists who have been imprisoned or confined in movement by the Vietnamese regime. The Reporters Without Borders worldwide press freedom index released on 23 October this year says that, out of the 168 countries surveyed, Vietnam ranks within the bottom 20 for the basic freedoms of religion, expression and association. It is with sadness that I report that the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, leader of the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation, who has been awarded an important international prize for human rights, was so concerned for his own safety that he was not prepared to leave Vietnam in case he was never allowed back there to lead his people. That is a tragic circumstance by anybody’s standards. In closing these brief remarks, I refer to a statement by Dr Tien Nguyen, the federal president of the Vietnamese Community of Australia, who said, ‘We applaud our PM’s firm stand regarding anti-corruption measures and good governance required of our aid recipients’. (Time expired)

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