Kerry Bartlett (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australia has a warm and growing relationship with Vietnam which is yielding increasing benefits to both countries. High-level contacts between both nations’ leaders are increasing, evidenced most recently by Prime Minister John Howard’s visit to Vietnam and by the visits to Australia by Vietnamese Prime Minister Khai in May 2005 and Vice President Hoa in October this year. Vietnam is also becoming a valuable partner of Australia both bilaterally and within the region in areas such as combating narcotics and other transnational crime and fighting terrorism.

Australia’s development cooperation program of approximately $81 million a year is making a real contribution to improving life for many Vietnamese, particularly the poor in struggling rural areas. We have also been pleased to see some encouraging signs of Vietnam’s willingness to listen to Australia’s concerns about human rights issues. However, sadly, the people of Vietnam do not enjoy the open and robust democratic processes, the liberty, the freedom of speech and belief, and the impartial rule of law that many countries take for granted. Thus I am very pleased to support this motion moved by the member for Mitchell.

While in 1982 Vietnam ratified the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, unfortunately Vietnam’s practices do not live up to this commitment. Article 18.1 of that convention affirms:

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

Article 19.2 affirms:

Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.

Freedom of religion and belief are fundamental to our human individuality. The exercise of these rights strengthens a community and needs to be guaranteed by government. Yet, despite its ratification of this convention, the totalitarian Vietnamese state is still intolerant of criticism and severely curtails the religious freedoms affirmed in that convention.

Human Rights Watch, in its May 2006 report, details cases of the Vietnamese government’s harassment of citizens with dissident views. As it reports:

... the one party state, dominated by the Vietnamese Communist Party, is intolerant of criticism. Media, political parties, religious organizations and labour unions are not allowed to exist without official sanction and oversight ...

Internal dissidents have been imprisoned on charges of espionage, as have activists calling for democracy. Religious leaders and their families have been harassed, including Catholic priests and Buddhist monks. The Asian Times reported in July this year police officials storming and demolishing a Mennonite church and arresting the pastor and a number of his congregation.

The Australian government and people are strongly committed to the wellbeing of Vietnam. We have shown that through our ongoing and increasing economic assistance. Yet human rights are an essential part of this wellbeing. It is important that fundamental human rights are respected; accordingly, I urge the Vietnamese government to uphold the principles it endorsed when it ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

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