Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank all the contributors to this debate, in particular the member for Fowler for this motion regarding human rights in Vietnam. I know this is a matter about which he has been very passionate for many years and, indeed, I had the pleasure of joining him outside Parliament House recently when we spoke to a group of people from the Vietnamese Community in Australia—some of whom are in the gallery tonight—as well as a courageous and determined young Vietnamese man, Truong Quoc Viet, who had travelled to Australia and camped alone in a small tent on the lawn outside parliament for a week to raise awareness of the human rights situation in his country. Truong was very keen for the Australian government to take note of the human rights situation when considering the delivery of foreign aid to Vietnam to ensure that it gets to the people it is intended to help—those living in poverty and facing threats to their liberty. He was also keen for Australian parliamentarians to become more involved in discussions regarding human rights taking place between Australia and Vietnam. Truong was encouraged to know that the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, of which I am a member and which is chaired by the member for Werriwa and of which the member for Berowra is deputy chair, is currently undertaking an inquiry into:

… the effectiveness of Australia's Human Rights Dialogues with China and Vietnam with particular reference to:

The subcommittee received submissions and heard evidence from a wide range of organisations, including, relevantly for this debate, the Vietnamese Community in Australia, the Committee to Protect Vietnamese Workers, the United Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation, Bloc 8406—Freedom and Democracy for Vietnam, the Prisoners of Conscience Fund, the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights & Que Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam, and the Democratic Party of Vietnam.

There was also a submission sent from Hanoi from a Vietnamese attorney, Nguyen Van Dai, who had been imprisoned in Nam Ha prison for four years by the Vietnamese government, from March 2007 to March 2011. His submission, along with a number of others, suggested that Australia should attach its development aid to Vietnam's improvement in human rights and democracy, and that the degree of improvement in human rights should be assessed in a measurable way. He noted that examples of demonstrable improvements in human rights in Vietnam would include: the release of political prisoners and religious detainees; removal of house arrest of those already released; cessation of arrests and harassment by the government of Vietnam of those fighting for human rights and democracy; respect by the government of the rights of people to form and organise political parties and associations; the right of citizens to assemble; respect for the rights of free speech, free press, and allowing people to set up private newspapers; allowing the already-established parties to operate—for example, the Democratic Party and the Progressive Party—and respect for religious freedom.

It is reported by the Vietnamese Community in Australia, among others, that there are ongoing and severe violations of the rights of Montagnard Christian ethnic minorities from the northern and central highlands, Roman Catholics, people from the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Hoa Hao, Khmer Buddhists, and Cao Dai, as well as the human rights lawyers who defend these groups.

Submissions to the inquiry recommended that Australian aid include assistance to non-government organisations to assist organisations and individuals who are fighting for human rights and democracy in Vietnam, and improving access for ordinary people to information about their universal rights, and also that Australian officials make a point of visiting prisoners of conscience in Vietnam more often.

A number of submissions to the inquiry, including from the Committee to Protect Vietnamese Workers, recommended a significantly enhanced role for the parliament and NGOs, pre and post dialogues, as well as during the dialogue process itself, especially vis-a-vis parliamentarians, as well as improved reporting, monitoring and evaluation of the human rights outcomes of the dialogues.

The Vietnam Committee on Human Rights noted that the Australia-Vietnam dialogue 'can only be effective if it is a two-way process'. It is concerned that:

… Vietnam is using the dialogue, and other international initiatives, as a shield to deflect world scrutiny from its troubling human rights record.

I acknowledge the member for Fowler once again and welcome this debate here tonight as well as the inquiry being undertaken by the Human Rights Subcommittee into the effectiveness of the human rights dialogues, and I thank everyone who has contributed to these processes. I hope that eventually we will see significantly improved human rights outcomes for the courageous and peace-loving Vietnamese people.

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