See Section 4 for detailed discussions.

Recommendation 1 - Religious freedom as a factor in aid program

The Australian government include promoting religious freedom as a factor in Australia's aid program to Vietnam, no less important a factor than gender equality presently is.

Recommendation 2 - Funding for churches' aid work

The Australian government allocate a small annual percentage of aid funds to support aid projects in Vietnam that are run by Vietnamese churches, religious organisations, or local religious communities. AusAid should actively seek opportunities to support such aid projects. Independent churches, religious organisations and religious communities that are not government-sponsored should have no less than 1/2 share of such budget. If the Vietnamese authorities do not allow the implementation of this Recommendation, that fact should be reported to the Parliament.

Recommendation 3 - Advisory Group with emphasis on practical work

The Australian government form an Advisory Group to advise it on how religious freedom may be promoted and protected, including but not limited to aid matters. The Advisory Group should include experts that may come from the community or NGOs. The Advisory Group should report to the government and to the Human Rights Sub-Committee on the current state of religious freedom, and make recommendations on what Australia can do to improve the situation. In relation to aid, this Advisory Group should visit Vietnam at least once a year to conduct its aid-related work. This involves identifying aid projects that would promote or protect religious freedom, subject of Recommendation 2. The Advisory Group should meet at least twice every 6 months in Australia to prepare for and follow up on its above visits and its reports.

Recommendation 4 - Radio Australia's role

The Australian government, within the freedom of the press principle, encourage Radio Australia to reflect the Australian people's views of freedom of religion in particular and human rights and democracy in general. It is strongly desirable for the above to be reflected into Radio Australia's charter, which should then be developed into policies and eventually into on-air reality, which is systemic, non ad-hoc, and long term in character. Radio Australia should be guided by a community consultation process in which community organisations with an interest in human rights are represented. In its annual report, the ABC should detail Radio Australia's activities in this area. It should also separately write to the Human Rights Sub-Committee highlighting the relevant activities.

Recommendation 5 - Regular representations, visits, and tabling

DFAT officials regularly meet with both Vietnamese officials in Vietnam and Vietnamese Embassy officials in Australia to make representations to free religious prisoners or house detainees. The government should, on these occasions and during other written or oral representations, request the Vietnam side to allow DFAT officials to visit religious prisoners and those under house arrest. These visits should be as regular as feasible, and to as many people as feasible. The government should, at 6 monthly intervals, prepare reports on these visits and representations. If the Vietnamese government refuses Australia's requests, the reports should cover Vietnam's refusals, and Australia's responses to those refusals. The government should table these reports in Parliament as they become available, and also put them on DFAT's website.

Recommendation 6 - Human rights dialogue with emphasis on results, consultation, and accountability

The Australian government initiate regular dialogue with Vietnam on human rights, with emphasis on results, practical work, accountability, and two-way community consultation: The scope of the dialogue should cover religious freedom but may extend to other human rights. The dialogue should have an emphasis on practical and hands-on work, such as site visits by officials involved in the dialogue. Regular 6-monthly reporting should be made to the Parliament to report on results, explain what has been done to achieve such results, or explain why results have not been achieved and what actions are planned to achieve them. To allow the Parliament to retain an active role, the Human Rights Sub-Committee should have the ability to suggest target results for the dialogue, and to request briefings on an ad-hoc basis. Community consultation should be undertaken to receive inputs and to brief interested community groups. This may be achieved simply by nominating a suitably available officer as a community liaison officer. Non-government observers should be allowed to be present at meetings.

Recommendation 7 - Improving effectiveness of human rights education aid, and including human rights in education aid

The Australian government include two additional aspects in its existing human rights education aid: Follow up with trainees to assess whether and how the training has been applied in their work. Results from this should be factored into annual decisions about whether this type of aid should be continued, or modified. Include a wider range of people among the beneficiaries, such as legislators and press editors. The Australian government take steps to introduce students whom it sponsors to undertake study conducted by or for Australia, to religious freedom and other human rights, democracy, and governance concepts: The contents may cover international instruments, Australia's role and initiatives in human rights in Vietnam, and a constructive comparison of Australia's political governance system with Vietnam's. This introduction may occur at a student's induction, but can also take place any other time during a student's course of study. In its selection of students to be sponsored, Australia should assess, by way of an aptitude test or similar, whether the student is likely to benefit from such introduction. This part of the Recommendation applies whether the study is conducted in Australia or in Vietnam itself. If private students, ie. those not sponsored by Australia, wish to avail themselves of this introduction, it should be available at no cost.

Recommendation 8 - Study of human rights on the agenda of multilateral entities

The Australian government initiate a study to examine in detail the questions of whether, where, and how Australia may help to put the issues of religious freedom and other human rights, governance, transparency, and democracy on the agenda of international multilateral entities: The "whether" relates to balancing of Australia's national interests. The "where" relates to which multilateral entities should be targeted, for example the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and various UN entities, such as United Nations Development Program or UNESCO. The "how" relates to the ways in which, the strength by which, and the occasions on which Australia's points are made. The Parliament should be given an opportunity to contribute to the study itself and, where possible, help formulate the study's terms of reference. In addition to departmental personnel, the study should involve - ranging from consultations with to direct contributions by - personnel from outside government departments, such as the Parliament, relevant bodies, and NGOs. Its recommendations should be responded to by the government and all relevant parties.

Back to top