Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Medicare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I attended a briefing on alleged human rights violations in Vietnam. The allegations came as a surprise to me. I have always seen Vietnam as a country on the rise, making great economic progress, of independent thinking and of balanced, stable government. However, it appears that, particularly in recent times, and since the election of a new government in 2016, there has been widespread persecution, including arrests, imprisonment and physical violence, in response to criticism of or protest against government. There are allegations of religious freedom also being restricted by authorities, with both Christian and Buddhist followers, in particular, being targeted, religious property being destroyed and religious leaders being prevented from travelling. Labour unions are also banned, and labour activists are being surveilled and harassed.

Australia is home to some 295,000 Vietnamese people or people with Vietnamese ancestry, and I have no doubt that reports of what is occurring in Vietnam would be of grave concern to them. They would hold real fears for the safety and wellbeing of their family members and friends still living in Vietnam. Their fears would also relate to any return travel to Vietnam that they may have planned. Vietnam is a near neighbour to Australia and a growing trade partner. Vietnam is a party to the TPP, which Australia has an interest in. I therefore call on the Turnbull government, and, in particular, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, who have regular contact with international countries, to use whatever influence they have to, firstly, raise questions about human rights abuse with the Vietnamese government; secondly, call for the release of prisoners of conscience detained by Vietnamese authorities; and, thirdly, lift travel bans imposed on Vietnamese civic leaders.

I started my address by talking about allegations of human rights abuse. I don't know if those allegations are true or not, but I can only take them on face value, based on the reports that have been presented to members of parliament and that I have read in the paper. Whether Australia can, indeed, influence the Vietnamese government I don't know, but the best hope for the people in Vietnam who are having their freedoms, allegedly, restricted is for the international community, including Australia, to take an interest in and a stand over the growing allegations of human rights abuse in Vietnam.