Fresh-faced and governing neighbouring Melbourne municipalities, Jasmine Nguyen and Anthony Tran are among the youngest mayors in the country. Does their ascent mark a turning point in local politics? The 20-somethings dearly hope so. | Caroline Zielinski
on a cold June afternoon, and the six-storey Brimbank Community and Civic Centre in Sunshine, in Melbourne’s west, is closing to the public for the day. I walk up the stairs through its silent halls to a large room full of young people, mostly girls aged 13 to 26.
The trio all ran for office after taking an intensive eight-session course run by the Dual Identity Leadership Program, established by the Victorian chapter of the non-profit Vietnamese Community in Australia to train future leaders. DILP, as it’s known, was founded in 2013 by Vivienne Nguyen, currently chair of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, after she noticed young Vietnamese-Australians were not rising through the political ranks.
The first Vietnamese-Australian to become a member of the federal House of Representatives, Independent Dai Le made her inaugural speech to Parliament in September.When I ask how it feels to be the first Vietnamese-Australian to enter federal parliament, her voice cracks. “Being a refugee, I felt, my god, I couldn’t believe it was happening to me.
“I’m very lucky,” she says. “Because Mum had a university degree, it enabled her to put me into a different school to my friends, whose parents were labourers who worked in factories, hotels and hospitality.” In year 9, Nguyen was accepted into the prestigious, selective Mac.Robertson Girls’ High, where she gravitated towards subjects such as creative writing, politics and German.
“It was hard for Asians then to be part of the political world, because we had no mentors, no one to direct us.” With 28 others, they attended eight two-hour sessions, one per fortnight, learning about their culture, heritage and what it takes to make a good leader in Australia today. “First you have to understand where you come from, the intergenerational trauma and the reason why your parents are like they are, why they left,” Nguyen explains.
“You have to understand where you come from, the intergenerational trauma and the reason your parents are like they are, why they left.” From left, Tran, Claudia Nguyen and Jasmine Nguyen delivered food to Melburnians in need during COVID-19 lockdowns.met at DILP, it took a while for them to become friends. “He was very young, I thought,” Nguyen says. “I was like, ‘Wow, good on you for doing the program when you’re only 18!’ ” It wasn’t until they started working on the program’s committees that they became close: now, as fellow mayors, they’re each other’s lifelines.
“It can be a bit disheartening. I joined to see change for the community, but it’s still a numbers game.” While Nguyen has overseen a new grant which financially supports young people with ideas for projects that positively impact youth in Brimbank, Tran has been working to get a youth mental health organisation into the area. “Kids are waiting six to eight months to get a counselling appointment. I don’t want them to wait that long; they deserve that service now.”To get a better sense of the mayors on the job, I send a flurry of text messages to other councillors in Brimbank and Maribyrnong.
I meet Nguyen and Tran again at a Footscray pie shop, Pie Thief. Sitting outside in the sunshine as Nguyen and I eat our pies – Tran passes as he’s nervous about meeting a high-profile CEO later today – their affection for each other is palpable. Tran good-naturedly shakes his head every time Nguyen says something he thinks is outrageous.
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