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

On 10 December last year, I had the privilege of attending the Million Hearts, One Voice campaign held at Freedom Plaza in Cabramatta. I was there to accept a human rights petition on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Bob Carr. The Million Hearts, One Voice campaign is a worldwide petition initiated by Mr Truc Ho, the CEO of a Saigon broadcasting television network in the United States. The purpose of the petition is to highlight and draw attention to the ongoing human rights abuses in Vietnam.

I too remain concerned about the Vietnamese government's repression of freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of information, and its denial of the right of assembly. This suppression of basic freedoms has led to hundreds of Vietnamese citizens being imprisoned, detained and abused for something as basic as seeking one's fundamental human rights, the rights that we here in Australia often take for granted.

I have spoken in this House on many occasions on the issue of human rights abuses in Vietnam and I make no secret of my respect and admiration for the courage of the human rights defenders in that country, both past and present. It is these defenders of conscience who have the bravery to use their voice on behalf of many people in Vietnam. They have the courage to stand up for the rights of others, often to the detriment of their own families who continue to pay a very high price for their commitment to fairness and decency. We should always speak out for those in our global community who do not have a voice with respect to human rights, and that is precisely what this Million Hearts, One Voice petition is about.

Vietnamese people are being denied their basic human rights by a system that fails to honour freedom, fairness and equity. This petition is an opportunity for the global community to voice their concerns in support of the people of Vietnam. I am very proud to be a signatory of the Million Hearts, One Voice petition, along with 116 Vietnamese organisations around the world. More than 15,000 signatures were received from our local Vietnamese communities here in Australia alone. In total, the number of signatures is somewhere in the vicinity of 135,000 obtained globally. Individuals and organisations from around the world have joined together to raise their voice for human rights activists and for Vietnam. The number of signatories is certainly indicative of the enormous amount of support felt for the people of Vietnam from the various communities around this globe.

I have the honour of accepting the petition from Dr Phong Nguyen, who is a representative of the organising committee here in Australia. Dr Nguyen, like me, has advocated for fundamental human rights issues facing Vietnamese citizens, and I thank him for his ongoing commitment to the Vietnamese community. Mr Tri Vo is the national president of the Vietnamese Community in Australia, and I have had a long association with him. I am very proud to call him a very close friend. For many years, the VCA has represented the interests of many Vietnamese refugees and migrants here in Australia. I thank Mr Vo and the staff of the VCA for their continued service and dedication to the Australian Vietnamese community.

Although human rights may be an issue that is often thought to be the concern of older generations, many youth groups around the world have also come together to support the Million Hearts, One Voice campaign. Tam Hoang, the president of Vietnamese Students Association in New South Wales, has spent a lot of time and effort raising awareness for the younger generation about human rights issues in Vietnam. Since the fall of Saigon almost 38 years ago, the Vietnamese community has been a very active and positive part of Australia's multicultural society. It is now our turn to assist by recognising and condemning the violations of basic human rights still occurring in their homeland of Vietnam.