Wednesday, 8 March 2023

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (09:59): On International Women’s Day my statement emphasises the important work that is done by the women within our multicultural community. Last week I had the honour to attend the opening of the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association’s 40 Years Young and Thriving exhibition at the Immigration Museum. The event marked the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association’s achievements and celebrated 40 years of providing service to our community. These services include aged and youth support, prisoner support, alcohol and drug counselling, gambling counselling, crime prevention, family violence prevention, NDIS support – the list goes on. The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association was founded by Ms Cam Nguyen and 17 other women in 1983. What started out with a handful of volunteers and a $200 grant to help the Vietnamese community has blossomed as a not-for-profit organisation, reaching the $1 million mark in 2004, and now in 2023 the organisation has over 300 employees and a budget of $25 million, with services catering for the whole community across Victoria, in the south-east, in the east and in the west, which is my electorate. I was delighted to attend and witness their remarkable achievements and support their critical work in our community. I congratulate the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association and wish the organisation, along with the newly appointed CEO Ms Ngoc Chung, all success in coming years.