Tuesday, 26 November 2024

Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (12:32): I rise today to update the house on my recent visit to the Richmond office of the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association. The association is a fantastic organisation that is making a profound impact within Victoria’s correctional system and the broader Vietnamese community. During my visit I had the privilege of meeting with the chair, Ms Bich-Cam Nguyen, who founded the association in 1983 and was recently honoured with an Order of Australia Medal in this year’s King’s Birthday honours. I also met CEO Nicky Chung and her dedicated team, who are advancing the mission of supporting those in need within the Vietnamese community.

The Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association has partnered with Corrections Victoria since 1997 and delivers the Indochinese prisoner support program across both the men’s and women’s systems. This is the only program in Victoria’s supporting Vietnamese and Indochinese prisoners with pre- and post-release assistance to help people successfully reintegrate back into the community. The program currently operates across eight prisons, providing support to Vietnamese prisoners who often face language barriers, literacy challenges and migration-related trauma. The program funds two dedicated staff and is expected to make more than 150 prison visits each year. Through this work the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association helps prisoners build skills, access culturally safe services and reintegrate into the community, and that is good for all Victorians.

Beyond corrections, the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association delivers a broad range of services to the Vietnamese community and employs over 400 people across our state. Their broad range of support services include age and disability support, vocational training and alcohol and drug support. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, its leadership and its staff for their exceptional work and for being a great partner. They are not only supporting individuals in the justice system but also strengthening families and communities right across the state.