Campaign Letter No.7: A Community Built On Service, Not Profit
CAMPAIGN LETTER No. 7
Liên Danh Xây Dựng và Phát Triển Cộng Đồng (Build and Develop Community Team)
A COMMUNITY BUILT ON SERVICE, NOT PROFIT
Dear Community Members,
The Chung Sức team has recently posted on social media a series of figures drawn from financial reports submitted by the Executive Committee to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, hastily concluding that the financial position of our Community under our leadership has declined significantly and shifted from surplus to deficit. Their argument fundamentally misunderstands the nature of a not-for-profit organisation such as ours, and we write this letter so that our community members may see the true picture clearly.
1. Our Community is a not-for-profit organisation
The Vietnamese Community in Victoria is not a commercial enterprise. The standard by which we should be judged is not net profit but the effectiveness of our service to the community. It is measured in the cultural, artistic and civic events we organise, in the programs we deliver for the elderly, for young people and for newly arrived Vietnamese Australians, and in the trust, strength and unity we build within our community of free Vietnamese people on Australian soil. When we spend more than we receive in the service of our community, that is not a sign of failure. It is evidence of commitment and responsibility.
Using net profit to evaluate a not-for-profit organisation is like using a ruler to measure weight. The wrong instrument will always produce the wrong result.
2. Misleading the community without a spirit of constructive engagement
The Chung Sức team has sought to shape public opinion in a misleading and unconstructive way. They have overlooked something of great importance, namely that over this period we have devoted our energy, effort and financial resources to organising events marking the 50th Anniversary of Settlement and Freedom, a defining moment in our history that could not be allowed to pass in silence. We are confident that our community has witnessed firsthand the many events we have successfully delivered during this time.
But even if we were to accept the figures they put forward at face value, the arithmetic tells a very different story from the one they wish voters to believe. In the first year there was a surplus of $177,305. In the second year there was a surplus of $46,953. In the third year there was a deficit of $52,904. Adding these together, the cumulative surplus over three years remains $171,354. When this result is considered alongside the 50th Anniversary commemorations we delivered, the Executive Committee deserves to be recognised as having achieved an outstanding record of service.
3. The Chung Sức team does not know enough to judge
When our Executive Committee assumed responsibility in late 2022, the Community was in the midst of a serious crisis. A debt of $200,000 owed to Brimbank City Council had been repaid by the previous Executive Committee, yet no clear explanation had ever been given to the community as to who bore responsibility, whether an individual, the Executive Committee or the Centre Management Board. In addition, the assets of our Community had been quietly transferred to the Vietnamese Museum Australia Ltd without the knowledge of community members. An atmosphere of division and mistrust prevailed. That was the legacy we inherited.
We did not step back. Step by step, we restored order, strengthened the organisation and rebuilt the trust of our community members. To achieve these outcomes we committed our time, our energy and our financial resources unreservedly.
4. A record that speaks for itself
To mark the 50th Anniversary of Settlement, our Executive Committee led two historic fundraising campaigns. Community members and associations contributed over $600,000 to the new Footscray Hospital and over $200,000 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Every dollar was transferred directly and transparently to the recipient organisations. This money did not come from the Executive Committee. It came from the generosity of our community members and associations. We are proud to have served as a worthy bridge for that generosity.
The event held at The Atrium, Federation Square on 9 May 2026 brought together 16 dance groups, a cải lương ensemble and two Falun Gong groups from many different associations, sharing a single stage in the heart of Melbourne, supported by a grant of just $3,500 from the City of Melbourne, with the Community contributing a matching contribution to make it happen. That event is living proof of a united, vibrant and growing community.
5. How the surplus of over $300,000 will be used
The financial report clearly states that the Community currently holds a surplus of over $300,000. We wish to set out plainly how these funds are allocated. A portion represents accrued leave yet to be paid to our social worker, a mandatory financial obligation. Another portion is set aside for youth programs and activities.
The remainder has been designated for two concrete and practical projects. The first is the renovation of the kitchen and bathroom facilities at the Community Activity Centre. The Federal Government has recently reopened its community facilities repair support program, on the condition that the applying organisation contributes a share of the costs. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.
The second project is the long term lease of two large rooms at 147 Elizabeth Street, Richmond, to create an additional spacious community hall for our members, with an estimated cost of approximately $400,000 for construction and fit out. Should the lease be secured, this represents an important investment in the long term future of our Community.
We also wish to announce that Mr Frank Ma, the owner of Happy Receptions, will be retiring at the end of June 2026 and has generously made his venue available for a community fundraising event on Friday 5 June 2026. All funds raised will be held in trust and handed over transparently to the incoming Executive Committee for the two projects described above.
Dear Fellow Community Members,
What we have outlined above makes clear that the Chung Sức team’s use of a handful of profit figures to evaluate the financial position of the Community under our leadership reflects an approach that is both technically unsound and lacking in good faith. It is designed with one purpose in mind, to steer voters toward the Chung Sức team.
The first commitment of the Xây Dựng và Phát Triển Team is transparent and democratic governance in accordance with the 2024 Constitution. We do not chase profit. We serve our community. In a further letter, we will set out in detail our approach to financial management over the past three years so that community members may see precisely how every dollar has been earned, held and spent.
The Xây Dựng và Phát Triển Team knows clearly what we have done, what we are doing and what we will continue to do, with one purpose only: to build and develop our Community.
On Sunday 28 June 2026, we respectfully invite you to cast your vote for Team No. 1: Xây Dựng và Phát Triển.
ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO VOTE. VOTE IN NUMBERS. VOTE WISELY. CHOOSE WELL.
Yours sincerely,
Nguyễn Quang Duy
Team Representative and incumbent President Free Vietnamese Community in Victoria
