Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Fowler and to support the comments made by the members for Berowra and Werriwa. As this motion notes, there have been increasing reports of human rights violations in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, including evidence of continued house detention and the imprisonment of notable human rights activists including the Nobel Peace Prize nominee the Most Venerable Thich Quang Do, the Reverend Nguyen Van Ly of the Vietnamese Catholic Church, Dr Nguyen Dan Que, the legal scholar Dr Cu Huy Ha Vu and, most recently, the jailing without trial of Vo Minh Tri—known as Viet Khang—a popular young peace activist. Wherever human rights abuses are taking place it is our obligation to raise our voices in protest. These ongoing reports of human rights violations are of particular concern to the nearly 200,000 Australians of Vietnamese ancestry. I would take this opportunity to note the outstanding success of many in our Vietnamese community, who I know are represented in the gallery here tonight. This success has arisen through their entrepreneurial spirit backed by a willingness for hard work and sacrifice with a strong emphasis on family and a belief in democracy. I congratulate them.

This motion calls on the Australian government to consider the issues of human rights in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam when allocating funding under Australia's overseas development aid program. It is all very nice for members of this government to come into this chamber with this motion and call on the very same government to consider issues of human rights violations when allocating funding under the overseas aid development program; however this motion shows that the government is trying to walk both sides of the street.

This motion misleads Australia's Vietnamese community, which has actively sought to highlight human rights abuses of the Communist regime currently ruling the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. While the motion calls on Australia to consider the issues of human rights violations when allocating funding, it is worth noting that the current government has given out the single largest aid donation in South-East Asia to the Vietnamese government—$160 million to build a bridge over the Mekong River. At the same time, this Labor government cannot find money to fund vital infrastructure projects in Western Sydney and elsewhere throughout the nation. When this motion notes that since 2002 Australia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have had eight rounds of dialogue on human rights with no apparent results, why are we freely handing over $160 million to build a bridge? What message does that send?

Mr Deputy Speaker, I draw to your attention to an article published by the Communist Party of Vietnam's online newspaper. Here is the print-out—complete with the hammer and sickle and a picture of Uncle Ho—praising the Labor government for handing over $160 million of Australian taxpayers' money to build a bridge over the Mekong River in Dong Thap province. That is advertising which money cannot buy. According to the 'About Us' page on the website, the Communist Party of Vietnam's official newspaper:

Effectuates far-reaching dissemination of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought,

Stores classic works of Karl Marx … and Vladimir Lenin,

And—

Resolutely, actively and convincingly struggles against arguments and activities of hostile forces aiming to sabotage national revolution.

Simply, the very same publication which praises the Australian donation excuses the human rights violations currently ongoing in Vietnam. I suggest that this is very poor use of our foreign aid. We are getting very little return for our $160 million investment.

Further, handing over this aid money to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in this way for the heavy infrastructure frees up that government to spend on other things. It is noteworthy that in February 2010 Vietnam revealed plans to buy six new Russian-built submarines and 12 Sukhoi SU-30 fighter-bombers at a cost of US$4.2 billion. In August 2010, Vietnam took delivery of the first of four new heavily armed Russian built Stealth Frigates costing $700 million, and it is now midway through acquiring 12 new 500-tonne Russian designed fast missile boats. This comes at a time when our Labor government has reduced our defence spending to the lowest level since 1938.

I support this motion, but the Vietnamese community know that our current government is walking both sides of the street, praising the Vietnamese government and handing out these generous donations while at the same time raising human rights violations back have. (Time expired)

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