Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Vietnam from 25 to 30 August 2024. I ask leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with the report.

Leave granted.

I had the honour to be part of the Parliamentary Delegation to Vietnam in August, led by the President of the Senate, the Hon. Sue Lines, which I attended along with Senator Anne Urquhart; the Hon. Kevin Hogan MP, Member for Page; Ms Rachel Callinan, delegation secretary from the Department of the Senate; and advisers to the President, Ms Harriet Brooke and Ms Nyat Mulugeta.

The delegation met with senior members of Vietnam's leadership and representatives of the National Assembly of Vietnam. The delegation reciprocated the Guest of Parliament visit by the former President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, His Excellency Vuong Dinh Hue, hosted by the presiding officers of the Australian parliament in November and December 2022, during which the cooperation agreement between our two governments was signed, and follows the elevation of bilateral relations between Australia and Vietnam to a comprehensive strategic partnership in March 2024.

I note that 2024 also marks 50 years of the ASEAN-Australia partnership, a significant milestone for both Australia and Vietnam. As the first Vietnamese Australian with a refugee background to stand in this House, I naturally feel proud that my birth country and my adopted homeland, Australia, have reached that significant milestone, demonstrating how much work and how many dialogues have been shared between the two nations, including trade and development, regional and international issues, gender equality and human rights, just to name a few. I was equally proud to see how many Australians, including Vietnamese Australians who have returned to Vietnam, are contributing to and helping to build Vietnam's civil society and economy—people like Jimmy Pham AM, who started his KOTO training centre over two decades ago, in 1999, and continues to support young people, largely women, to develop skills and confidence that will empower them to be productive citizens of Vietnam.

We visited Maxport, a sportswear manufacturing company owned by Australian Nicholas 'Jef' Stokes, founder and CEO, and saw the amazing work they're doing in producing high-quality sportswear. Maxport is part of the Australian funded International Finance Corporation project, empowering enterprise to reach gender equality, which provides assistance on workplace gender equality for footwear and apparel manufacturing.

Another great Australian company that we got to see was QLM Label Makers, a family-owned company that started in Queensland in 1973 and is now seen as a leader in the label-printing industry. Simon Pugh, the managing director, warmly welcomed us to his business with his home-baked anzac biscuits as well.

On behalf of the delegation, I would like to acknowledge His Excellency Mr To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and State President; His Excellency Mr Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Vietnam; and His Excellency Mr Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam. We were deeply honoured to accept Chairman Man's invitation on behalf of the delegation. We extend our sincere appreciation to Chairman Man and his officials for facilitating the program.

We would also like to acknowledge the warm hospitality extended by all those who received the delegation during our visit, and thank them for generously sharing their knowledge, perspectives and friendship.

We would like to acknowledge the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, His Excellency Mr Andrew Goledzinowski, the Deputy Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Ms Renee Deschamps, and Acting Consul-General Mr Brent Stewart, as well as other embassy and consulate officials who facilitated the visit, accompanied us to our various activities and provided expert briefings and support.

I commend the report to the House.