VCA-VIC: VISIT TO PREMIER JACINTA ALLAN AT THE VICTORIAN STATE PARLIAMENT
MEDIA RELEASE
RE: VISIT TO PREMIER JACINTA ALLAN AT THE VICTORIAN STATE PARLIAMENT
23 February 2025
Dear Community Leaders and Members,
A few days before our Tet Festival, the office of Premier Jacinta Allan sent an email inviting the Vietnamese Community in Victoria to visit the State Parliament to discuss with her some of our community activities and our 50th Anniversary Resettlement Program.
On Thursday, February 20, 2025, a delegation of 6 members from the Executive Committee and the Extended Executive Committee was welcomed by her advisor at the Parliament’s entrance. She guided us to visit several areas within the Parliament before we officially proceeded to the meeting room to meet the Premier.
Upon entering the meeting room, the Premier received gifts including a 50-year badge, a Yellow flag ribbon, and notably a Yellow flag scarf, and she took commemorative photos with the delegation.
The Premier opened with thanks, stating that she and her two children were delighted to be invited to the Tet Festival. She highly praised the organization of the festival, particularly the 50-Year Exhibition Hall. We expressed gratitude to the Government for providing a $100,000 annual grant over 4 years to support our community in organizing the Tet Festival.
The agenda had been sent to her in advance, and she had been briefed by her staff, so the meeting proceeded quickly. We provided additional information, and she personally noted some points while asking us a few questions.
The Premier was very surprised to know that the Department of Multicultural Affairs did not support our Community in the 50-Year Vietnamese Settlement in Australia program. We informed her that the current Executive Committee had repeatedly applied for funding from the Victorian Multicultural Commission but had been rejected each time.
At the meeting’s conclusion, she stated that her advisor would work directly with us to foster a positive relationship between the Government and the Vietnamese Community in Victoria.
The meeting ended about 5 minutes earlier than expected, allowing her to cheerfully sign autographs and take additional commemorative photos with the delegation.
Though we only met her for about 45 minutes, our impression was that she is very attentive, a good listener, approachable, and trustworthy. We believe that our community’s proposals will be thoughtfully considered by her.
Please view the photos and video clip at: https://youtu.be/wa_zgyDIHVE.
Best regards,
For the Executive Committee,
Duy Quang Nguyen
President of VCA-VIC
