Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to present a bill for an act to amend the Workplace Relations Act 1996, and for other purposes. (Workplace Relations Amendment (A Stronger Safety Net) Bill 2007)

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes that, since becoming a member of the World Trade Organisation, Vietnam has enjoyed an increase of US$ 450 in income per capita, the incidence of poverty has been halved and external debt reduced from 191 per cent to 33 per cent of Gross National Income between 1993 and 2007;

(2)

urges Vietnam to maintain its efforts for economic reform and to ensure that growth is accompanied by political and religious reform;

(3)

notes the Vietnamese Government’s ratification of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights; and

(4)

calls on the Government to:

(a)

express concern over the suppression of Block 8406, the Progressive Party, the Vietnamese Labour movement and other organisations as contrary to the principles of the above mentioned charter;

(b)

express concern over the detention of the Rev. Nguyen Van Ly, journalist Nguyen Vu Binh, human rights lawyers Nguyen Van Dai and Le Thi Cong Nhan and other activists as contrary to the principles of the above mentioned charter; and

(c)

assist Vietnam to meet its obligations to pursue and promote human rights as a nominee for the non permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-2009 biennium;

(5)

notes the statement by the White House Press Secretary on 11 May 2007 in support of the peaceful expression of political thought in Vietnam; and

(6)

notes the resolution put before the United States Congress by Congressman Chris Smith to release the above-mentioned political prisoners and prisoners of conscience and further promote the practice of religious freedom in Vietnam.