Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on this private member’s motion on Vietnam introduced by the member for Mitchell. I welcome his comments, the comments of the Chief Government Whip, and those of the honourable member for Prospect. I listened to them with interest. I am deeply disappointed, though, that the member for Fowler would choose a motion like this to have a complete race to the bottom in political partisanship. It would have been far more sensible for this parliament to say something in a united way to the current regime in Vietnam about the way they treat certain sections of their population. The words I would use to describe the honourable member’s speech would be ‘ill-judged’. It is a shame.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the mass and celebration that accompanied the 25th anniversary of the Vietnamese Catholic Church in Western Australia. In my electorate of Stirling, which I am privileged to represent, we have a large number of migrants from Vietnam who came here after the Vietnam War. They arrived in Western Australia seeking refuge after enduring extraordinarily dangerous sea crossings, not directly to the landmass of Australia but to points in between. They were granted refuge by the Fraser government. Many lost their lives on that voyage, but they were determined to do it to seek a better life. In Vietnam their government was denying its people what we consider to be basic freedoms. It continues to do that today.

Upon arrival here, though, the Vietnamese community made an enormous contribution to Stirling and to Australia at large. The success they have had as migrants was evident to me when I visited the Vietnamese Catholic community about a fortnight ago. I was also reminded at that function about the persecution that has been endured by people in Vietnam merely on the basis of their faith. The Vietnamese regime continues to repress its own people, particularly certain people of Christian or Buddhist faith. You have to ask yourself why. I cannot understand the frame of mind of a government that is scared of its people believing in something. This persecution is the basis for this motion today, and I again congratulate the member for Mitchell for bringing it before the House.

Australia and Vietnam enjoy a very good relationship, as was outlined by the Chief Government Whip. This relationship is based on trade, on a shared place in the region and on the very strong people-to-people links that we enjoy through our large Vietnamese community. But this friendship does not stop us being concerned about the human rights record of the Vietnamese regime. Indeed, I note that the Australian government has been at the absolute forefront of promoting human rights in Vietnam. We have established a regular dialogue with Vietnam about the subject, and this year the Vietnam-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program was commenced. That provides an opportunity for Vietnamese and Australian institutions to foster practical cooperation on human rights issues.

The Australian government also makes regular representations to the Vietnamese government about its citizens who are subject to arbitrary treatment and human rights abuse. This is a concern that is shared by many of our friends and allies and by international bodies such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It is absolutely vital that the Vietnamese government observes its international obligations on human rights, and freedom of worship is a key right that is recognised by the international community. Sadly, the Vietnamese government continues to persecute members of independent churches, imposes controls on the internet and the press, restricts public gatherings and imprisons people for their religious or political views. It is the failure of the Vietnamese regime to recognise the right of freedom of worship that has led to the cases that have been outlined by the member for Mitchell in point (3) of this motion.

Sadly, we know that individuals who are targeted for persecution by the Vietnamese state are subject to the most appalling conditions. Police routinely arrest and detain people without written warrants. Reports have been received about solitary confinement of detainees in cramped, dark and unsanitary conditions; lack of access to medical care; and police beatings with electric shock batons. I hope this motion today will highlight the problem of human rights abuse in Vietnam—(Time expired)

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