Highlights
- Councillor Anthony Tran was elected as the new mayor of Maribyrnong Council at the age of 22.
- He was a past student of the Dual Identity Leadership Program, run by the Vietnamese Community in Australia.
- He's pushing for the creation of Australia's first-ever Vietnamese museum in the LGA.
Independent councillor Anthony Tran was elected as the new mayor of Maribyrnong Council in a ballot held in early November.
The win meant the son of Vietnamese refugees became that council's youngest-ever mayor.
He is the product of the Dual Identity Leadership Program, an initiative of the Vietnamese Community in Australia (VCA) to help second-generation migrants discover their leadership potential.
The program was launched in 2013, as an avenue to help the children of migrants reach their leadership potential representing two cultural identities.
Cr Tran stepped into politics after completing his university studies at La Trobe in law and commerce.
“I am completely honoured to be given this responsibility and the pleasure to represent the city that I have grown up in,” he tells SBS Vietnamese.
“I am forever grateful to the help and this is I can give in for my family, my friends, and especially to the Vietnamese community, to VCA Victoria for their guidance that had given me through the campaign season, which was a very tough season.
“Now as the youngest mayor, I have to represent the Vietnamese community as well as I can and more importantly to represent the multicultural communities within the city of Maribyrnong.”
He joins a shortlist of young Australians to hold the top job at their respective councils, including Emilia Lisa Sterjova who became mayor of Whittlesea in Victoria in 2016 at the age of 19, and now-federal Labor MP Clare O’Neil, who was 23 when she became mayor for Dandenong in 2004.
Cr Tran relishes the opportunity to work with councillors with more years of experience.
"I don't feel any pressure when it comes to being the youngest councillor in the room. The reason I don’t have any pressure is that there are the councillors in the room that are first-time councillors just as myself,” he says.
"More importantly, I feel as if the staff, the team of the city of Maribyrnong have made it very easy for new first-time councillors such as myself to transition and enter into the council. So being young, I have no doubt this opportunity, I think, it brings something exciting, something new, a different point of view."
He will throw his support behind a number of initiatives, including the building of Australia’s first Vietnamese museum in Footscray.
“In relation to the Vietnamese community, my support will always go towards the Vietnamese museum. We’ve had conversations with the Vietnamese Museum Australia (VMA) in relation to how we address the issues around that, and how we resolve the issues.
“Because I’ve seen not every proposal is perfect because everyone has different views, the residents that are living nearby the site of the museum have different views.
“We always have to work closely with the VMA, with the VCA to make sure whatever the solution we come to, it is one of the benefits for the Vietnamese community as well as the local residents."
He says the council is also looking at introducing a new initiative called The Next project, which will be a building and a hub where all cultures can gather and hold events.
Celebrating Lunar New Year in 2022, following two years of pandemic restrictions, is also at the top of his list.
“One of the many things that the city of Maribyrnong is long known for is as the 'festival city'. We will look to bring it back that scene and festivals, and recognise the interest in our city, recognise the businesses, the busy streets, as well introduce outdoor dining.
“Council will look into adopting an approval for implementation for outdoor dining areas paid by the council or paid by the business owners or mutually both.”
He emphasises that being an independent councillor allows him to be connected more deeply with the community he serves.
“The reason I want to be an independent councillor is that on the local level I believe the independent councillor gives a good reflection on what the community really wants, no political attention, no political bias, [and] is just purely for the community, no questions about that.”
