Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Saturday, 30 April, I, together with many hundreds of Australian Vietnamese people, attended the Australian War Memorial to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Of the people that attended, many had lost homes, family and friends. But, most of all, they came together to remember that they had lost their freedom and their country.

It was also an opportune time to pay our respects to the many Australian and Vietnamese soldiers that fought in that conflict. They fought side by side defending South Vietnam. They fought side by side defending freedom. With much sadness, we remember the many thousands of South Vietnamese soldiers who died in that conflict and the 521 Australian soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting for freedom and the right of South Vietnamese people to live with dignity. Their courage and their commitment is certainly very humbling and deeply inspiring. It is because of their sacrifice that Vietnamese Australians and many Vietnamese people around the world will never give up on their quest for freedom and democracy in Vietnam.

That day was also an opportunity to remember the thousands of people who died at sea and during treks through the jungles trying to escape the tyranny of the communist regime. Our prayers remain with them.

It also gave me an opportunity to reflect on the contributions that Australian Vietnamese people have made to this country since arriving here no earlier than 1975. Their hard work and industrious nature, their compassion for Australians in need, their care for community and their unshakeable belief in freedom and democracy makes them very much model citizens of this country. It is with great pride that we can reflect on their contribution and everything they have been able to achieve since settling in this country.

Australian Vietnamese people have never forgotten their culture, traditions or their history. Importantly, they have never forgotten the quest for freedom in their home country. They never forget the people living under a repressive regime—people whose human rights are being violated and whose dignity is being ignored. They still dream of freedom.

It was a day for us to honour the Australian Vietnamese soldiers, pay our respects to those lost in the seas and jungles escaping the regime. But, most of all, it was an opportunity to pledge ourselves to and to stand by the people of Vietnam as they strive for freedom, democracy and respect for human rights.