Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Vietnam which took place from 25 to 30 August 2024, and I seek leave to move a motion to take note of the document.

Leave granted.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

Vietnam and Australia are enduring friends, with a relationship anchored in political trust, who share a vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous region. Vietnam is one of Australia's most important partners economically, strategically and through strong people-to-people links. We visited Vietnam at the invitation of His Excellency Mr Tran Thanh Man, with an important cross-party delegation. President Sue Lines led the parliamentary delegation, accompanied by me, the Hon. Kevin Hogan MP and Ms Dai Le MP, and we were supported by Ms Rachel Callinan, an officer from the Senate, who is in the chamber with us today, an officer from the Senate. I would like to give my sincere thanks to His Excellency the Chairman of the National Assembly for welcoming the cross-party delegation to Vietnam.

I would also like to thank a number of the embassy people—certainly the Ambassador to Vietnam, the Hon. Andrew Goledzinowski, along with Ms Renee Deschamps, Mr Brent Stewart, Ms Cherie Russell, Ms Carol Holmes, Ms Cecilia Brennan, Ms Majdie Hordern, Ms Alexandra O'Connor, Mr Ben Davis, Mr Joe Bourke and Ms Arabella Bennett, who were all embassy and consulate general employees who looked after us immensely, I must say.

The delegation received a welcome and presentation from Madame Nguyen Thi Thanh, Standing Deputy Chair of the National Assembly, and other officials on the first day of our visit. We had a meeting with Mr Mai Van Tuat, the deputy secretary and chair of the people's council of Ninh Binh province. We then had an official welcome ceremony. We met with Mr Tran Thanh Man, the president of the national assembly, and had a dinner reception.

The meeting discussed the growing ties between the two legislatures, particularly following the signing of the cooperation agreement between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the Parliament of Australia—the parliamentary cooperation agreement or the PCA—by the presiding officers of the Australian parliament and the former president of the national assembly. The agreement provides a framework for further developing bilateral relations between the two legislatures and builds on the long history of engagement between the two parliaments that has deepened since the previous cooperation agreement was entered into in 2013. The visit was the second Australian delegation to visit Vietnam since the signing of the agreement.

We had a very busy and packed delegation schedule. We visited the KOTO Training Centre, which is a training facility for at-risk and disadvantaged youth across Vietnam that provides life skills and job-ready training. We learnt how to make a cup of coffee there, and I must say the ambassador was very impressed with my efforts in that field. We met with Australian agricultural representatives. We visited the Maxport garment factory, which Australian Mr Jef Stokes is the founder and CEO of.

We popped into the embassy and had afternoon tea with the officials. We then had a meeting with the Minister of Industry and Trade. We also met with the Prime Minister. We had a courtesy call with the chairman of the Vietnam-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group, and it was noted that friendship groups were established in both of the parliaments in Australia and Vietnam. We also visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. The delegation enjoyed that tour, including the people of Vietnam galleries which highlighted the diverse population of Vietnam comprising of 53 ethnic minority groups.

We then went on to meet with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the state president. We travelled from Hanoi down to Ho Chi Minh City, where we, again, met with the AusCham board and their members. We visited a labelmaker factory, which Mr Simon Pugh, another Australian, is the managing director of. We visited the NAB Innovation Centre Vietnam and took a briefing and an office tour to learn about their presence in Vietnam and the value of that to Tasmania. Finally, we visited the RMIT campus in Vietnam. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.