Huong Truong
Huong Truong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Western Metropolitan Region | |
| In office 21 February 2018 – 24 November 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Colleen Hartland |
| Succeeded by | Kaushaliya Vaghela |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1983 or 1984 (age 40–41)[1] Australia |
| Political party | Greens |
Thi Viet Huong Truong (Vietnamese: Trương Thị Việt Hương[2]) is an Australian politician, community organiser,[3] artist[4] whose parents came from Vietnam as refugees by boat following the Vietnam War.[5]
Truong was a Greens member of the Victorian Legislative Council, having represented Western Metropolitan Region from February 2018, when she was appointed to the vacancy resulting from Colleen Hartland's resignation,[6][7] until her defeat at the 2018 Victorian state election.
In July 2024, Truong was preselected by the Greens to contest the Labor-held federal seat of Fraser in Melbourne’s west.[8]
Early life and education
[edit]Childhood
[edit]Truong was born and raised in Western Melbourne, with their two brothers and three sisters.[9]
Truong's grandparents served in the South Vietnamese Army that fought the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War. In 1975, at the Fall of Saigon, Huong's parents were each chosen by their families to flee Vietnam on fishing boats.[9]
Truong's parents arrived in Australia in 1983 at the Midway Migrant Hostel in Maribyrnong, Victoria, which turned into the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre.[9]
Truong lived in public housing and went to public schools, such as Maidstone Public School and Braybrook College.
Education
[edit]Truong graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts in 2005, and from RMIT with a Master of Social Science in Environment and Planning in 2009.[7] Truong coordinates the University of Melbourne Vietnam Alumni Network for Hanoi.[10]
In 2017, Truong completed a Diploma in Leadership and Management with Victorian University Polytechnic.[7]
Career
[edit]Pre-parliamentary career
[edit]Truong's first job out of university was at Centrelink as a Bilingual Customer Service Adviser, during the Howard Government years. This first sparked their interest in politics, seeing the first-hand the effects on people of ‘mutual obligation’.[11]
Truong was first a candidate for the Greens to contest the Federal Division of Gorton in 2007 at the age of 24. Truong had joined the Greens only a few months earlier after learning about climate change. The campaign resulted in Truong feeling burnt out, and quitting the Greens before rejoining as a member in 2010.[3]
Truong has previously worked as a Policy and Projects Officer with the Victorian Government Department of Infrastructure in 2007, and as Environmental Planner and Sustainability Coordinator at Brimbank City Council from 2008 to 2018.[9]
Truong has also served as the Co-Covenor of the Australian Victorian Greens Multicultural Working Group in 2017.[7]
Victorian Parliament Legislative Assembly Representative (2018)
[edit]In 2017, Huong was preselected to step into the Victorian Legislative Assembly to represent the Western Metropolitan Region for the Greens, as Colleen Hartland retired from the Victorian Parliament.[12] Huong was the first Vietnamese-Australia woman to serve in any Australian Parliament.[13]
Between 22 February 2018 - 19 December 2018, Huong was also the portfolio holder for Multiculturalism, Youth Affairs, Sustainable Cities, Urban Water, Waste, Environmentally Sustainable Design & Planning and the Prevention of Family Violence, and also served on the Victorian Parliamentary Environment and Planning Committee.[7]
In the 2018 Victorian state election, Huong was not re-elected.
Post-parliamentary career
[edit]After serving in the Victorian Parliament, Truong worked as a organiser with the National Union of Workers[14] to unionise individuals, predominately from the Vietnamese community, in the poultry industry.[3] Truong is also a Founding Member and a contributor to the Vietnamese Australian Forum.[15]
In August 2020, Truong announced she would run for council in the City of Brimbank, for the Harvester Ward, in the 2020 Victorian local elections,[16] before having to withdraw due to health reasons.
Since 2021, Truong has worked in various roles such as a Victorian Greens Statewide Organiser and Office of Gabrielle de Vietri Electoral district of Richmond (Victoria) as Electorate Officer before becoming the Australian Greens National Grassroots Organiser in 2022.
In October 2023, Truong unsuccessfully ran for preselection to succeed retiring Victorian Greens Senator Janet Rice, on Rice’s retirement.[17]
In July 2024, Truong was preselected by the Greens to contest the Labor-held Division of Fraser in Melbourne’s west.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Huong Truong sets sights on parliament". Star Weekly. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022.
- ^ Kim Anh (29 March 2018). "Thế hệ thứ Hai (Bài 138) Trương Hương - phụ nữ Việt đầu tiên vào nghị viện tiểu bang". SBS Vietnamese. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Troung, Huong (October 2022). "The Work of Grassroots Organising". Green Agenda. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Eddie, Rachel (17 July 2024). "Former state Greens MP preselected for federal seat of Fraser". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Huong Truong, MLC for Western Metropolitan Region". The Australian Greens. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ "New MLC sworn in". Parliament of Victoria. 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "Member Database". Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Former state Greens MP preselected for federal seat of Fraser". The Age. 17 July 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Greens, Victorian (9 March 2018). "Huong Truong MP - First Speech". Youtube. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Alumni networks". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Huong Truong sets sights on Parliament". Star Weekly. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Hoare, Monique (22 January 2018). "Greens MP Colleen Hartland to retire from Parliament early, as Greens name Huong Truong as replacement". Herald Sun. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ "Huong Truong to replace retiring Colleen Hartland in Victorian Parliament". Star Weekly. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Huong Truong". The Community Organising Fellowship. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Vietnamese Australian Forum". Vietnamese Australian Forum. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Greens, Victorian (16 August 2024). "Huong Truong - Former member of the Legislative Council (2018–2018)". Australian Victorian Greens.
- ^ Carmody, Broede (30 November 2023). "'Enormous shoes to fill': Ex-Greenpeace boss to replace retiring Greens senator". The Age.
- Living people
- Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Victoria
- Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
- 21st-century Australian politicians
- Women members of the Victorian Legislative Council
- Australian politicians of Vietnamese descent
- 21st-century Australian women politicians
- Australian politicians of Asian descent
- University of Melbourne alumni
- RMIT University alumni