Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the tremendous contributions of the Vietnamese Australian Welfare Association. Since the association's establishment in 1989 it has provided the local community of south-west Sydney with culturally and linguistically appropriate welfare services and social support. From delivering essential settlement services to addressing homelessness, domestic violence, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, the association's programs have greatly assisted and provided long-term support to many vulnerable Vietnamese and Indochinese families in my electorate.

I have had the privilege of working very closely with its president, Mr Ambrose Dinh, who has been one of the association's longest serving presidents. Ambrose and his predecessors have built a strong foundation for VAWA to flourish, even through the challenging times and limited funding that it faces. Under Ambrose's leadership VAWA has launched the Early Intervention and Placement Prevention Program aimed at assisting young children, and young people generally, who are experiencing problems at school and at home. Young people from ethnic backgrounds often find themselves veering onto the wrong path and getting into trouble due to cultural and language barriers and, particularly, breakdowns in relationships with families. VAWA's early intervention program provides these families with targeted counselling and continuing support, as well as providing the appropriate referral to various social services.

Besides this program VAWA also runs a number of other initiatives including the 'Safe Home for Life' and 'It Stops Here' programs. These raise awareness on issues such as child protection, homelessness and domestic violence. In May this year VAWA, together with the New South Wales chapter of the Vietnamese Community in Australia and the Drug and Alcohol Multicultural Education Centre, hosted a community event to launch the Problem Gambling: Help for Families and Friends booklet. This booklet, which is available in multiple languages, not only raises awareness about the issues of problem gambling but also provides advice about the numerous support services available to help people address this affliction.

These services, and other initiatives of VAWA, have had a profound impact on the quality of life and general wellbeing of many Vietnamese and Indochinese in my electorate. I would like to acknowledge the other committee members: Mr Vuong Nguyen and Ms My Linh Nguyen, both vice presidents; the secretary, Ms Thi Doan Trang; and the treasurer, a good friend of mine, Andrew Nguyen. Of course, the backbone of any non-profit organisation is the tremendous work of its volunteers. I would like to congratulate the association on its 25th anniversary. It takes a very special team to deliver these much needed services to our community.