By Cr Jasmine Nguyen, Mayor, Brimbank
Have you heard? Brimbank is officially the centre of Melbourne’s booming west. I know many councils tout the multicultural strengths of their area but here’s why Brimbank is one of the most multicultural municipalities in Australia:
Having one of the largest populations in Victoria (approximately 210,000 people), we are truly a melting pot with over 160 cultures represented! Two-thirds of our residents were born overseas and more than half of Brimbank speaks a language other than English.
From Ethiopian restaurants in Sunshine to the Vietnamese markets at St Albans, I love that we genuinely celebrate each other’s diversity. We’re down-to-earth and you can feel comfortable to be who you are in Brimbank!
ABOUT ME
I was elected to council as a first-time candidate in November 2020. Having been born and raised in Brimbank my entire life, I was aware of Brimbank’s ‘rough’ reputation but the COVID-19 pandemic really highlighted how rough things could get.
The post-code lockdowns in Victoria were in Brimbank. There was harmful rhetoric in the media and general society blaming ethnic groups for the COVID outbreak. I felt this was an unfair blow to the hardworking CALD people in our community who couldn’t work from home or access supports due to systemic and cultural barriers.
Whether they were still at university or their first jobs, I also remember my friends expressing uncertainty about their future. At the peak of the pandemic, Brimbank had the highest youth unemployment rate of 19 per cent in the state.
Looking at the council, I felt it was about time we had a stronger voice for the young people and multicultural communities of Brimbank.
I worked in marketing and operations at NBN prior to taking my ‘Mayoral Gap Year’. I saw how the act of connecting people (digitally) can make such a positive change to their lives. This experience reaffirmed to me that whatever role I take on, it is important for me to have a purpose and understand the wider impact of what I do.
Whenever I have spare time, I enjoy catching up with my family and friends over a meal. As an active volunteer in the Vietnamese-Australian community, I love to connect with other young multicultural Australians through my role as an advisory board member of the Dual Identity Leadership Program. I also try to take nature walks at Brimbank Park with Mayor Momo (a.k.a. Councillor Corgi Momo).
COUNCIL GOALS, CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
It was disappointing to learn this year that Brimbank experienced one of the highest death rates for COVID-19 and held the highest pokie lossies in Victoria for over a decade. Clearly before the pandemic, Brimbank was already struggling with lower than average socio-economic and wellbeing indicators. These underlying issues make Brimbank more vulnerable to risks, but they also make it more challenging for our community to recover.
I believe council must play a role in addressing these disadvantages and deliver on initiatives that enable our wider community to prosper. For example, we’ve been using the Melbourne Airport Rail project as an intergenerational opportunity to transform the Sunshine precinct into a regional transport superhub.
In my term so far, I’ve had some success in bringing more initiatives to improve the mental wellbeing of young people in Brimbank. Last year I was able to get endorsement from council to initiate a review Brimbank’s mental health service offerings. This work put us ahead in the local government sector and lead to the development of Brimbank’s first Mental Wellbeing Plan in 2022, as well as the recruitment of two youth wellbeing development officers. Other achievements I’m proud of include our introduction of a $200,000 youth grant program to support young people throughout the pandemic in 2021, and the Brimbank Young People Idea’s Grant in 2022.
AND FINALLY
When I walk into rooms, people don’t expect me to be the Mayor. Usually people tell me that they imagine Mayors to be an older person with “more experience” and are positively surprised to meet me. Occasionally I hear the “you’re too young” remark.
Overall, I found that it’s been enjoyable challenging the misconceptions on who a Mayor or Councillor should be. Whatever your age, gender, background or factor that makes you unique, we can all provide a valuable contribution.
Representation helps others see what is possible. I’m grateful to the Brimbank community and hope to bring the refreshing bold change we need. As Brimbank’s youngest and first Vietnamese-Australian Mayor, I hope to see more young multicultural people diversify our councils (if you’re keen, please feel free to reach me on my socials @crjasminenguyen).
