Sang Nguyen
Encyclopedia
Sang Minh Nguyen (born 1 January 1960) is an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
from May 1996 until November 2006, representing Melbourne West
Province.
Nguyen was born in the Vietnam
ese town of Long Xuyen
. He studied at Lasan Duc-Minh High School in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City
) from 1970-4, but fled Vietnam in 1977 as a refugee with the fall of the city to the Communists and the end of the Vietnam War
, spending 10 months in Leamsing refugee camp in Thailand. After securing refugee status in 1978, he briefly studied at Greythorn High School
then completed his secondary studies at Swinburne TAFE in 1980.
He became involved in a series of positions related to helping the community, working as a mathematics teacher at the Collingwood Education Centre from 1983 to 1984, as a youth worker at the Ecumenical Migration Centre from 1985 to 1987, and as a coordinator at the Indochinese Communities Council. In 1988, Nguyen was elected to the City of Richmond
council, becoming at 28 the youngest member of the council and Victoria's first Vietnamese councillor. He later went on to serve as the city's mayor for a year in August 1991, the first Vietnamese mayor in Australia, and continued to serve as a councillor until 1994. During this period, he also became involved with the trade union
movement, serving as a Migrant Liaison Officer for the National Union of Workers
from 1989 to 1993.
In 1993, Nguyen took up a position as a staffer working for then federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
Gareth Evans. He worked with the Minister for three years before winning pre-selection to contest the safe Labor Legislative Council seat of Melbourne West Province at the 1996 election. Nguyen faced a challenge from left-wing social welfare campaigner Les Twentyman
, who ran as an independent, but Twentyman's vote dropped from 22.9% an earlier unsuccessful 1992 bid to just 10.3%, and Nguyen was elected. As a member of parliament, he served on the Family and Community Development Committee from 1996-99, the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee from 1999-2006, and the House Committee from 2003-06. He was often a spokesperson for the Vietnamese community in the chamber and elsewhere.
In March 2006, Martin Pakula
, who had unsuccessfully tried to unseat former federal Labor leader Simon Crean
in a preselection challenge earlier in the month, was selected instead of Nguyen, despite Nguyen being keen to recontest the seat. In 2008 he considered running to be Labor's candidate in the Kororoit by-election.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
from May 1996 until November 2006, representing Melbourne West
West Melbourne, Victoria
West Melbourne is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
Province.
Nguyen was born in the Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese town of Long Xuyen
Long Xuyen
Long Xuyên is the capital city of An Giang Province, in the Mekong Delta region of southwestern Vietnam. It is located at approximately 1,950 km south of Hanoi, 189 km from Ho Chi Minh City, and 45 km from the boundary with Cambodia...
. He studied at Lasan Duc-Minh High School in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
) from 1970-4, but fled Vietnam in 1977 as a refugee with the fall of the city to the Communists and the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, spending 10 months in Leamsing refugee camp in Thailand. After securing refugee status in 1978, he briefly studied at Greythorn High School
Greythorn High School
Greythorn High School was a state-run high school in the suburb of Balwyn North, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The school was established in February 1958, meeting for the first time at Balwyn High School as the new building at Greythorn Road was not completed at that time...
then completed his secondary studies at Swinburne TAFE in 1980.
He became involved in a series of positions related to helping the community, working as a mathematics teacher at the Collingwood Education Centre from 1983 to 1984, as a youth worker at the Ecumenical Migration Centre from 1985 to 1987, and as a coordinator at the Indochinese Communities Council. In 1988, Nguyen was elected to the City of Richmond
City of Richmond
The City of Richmond was a Local Government Area located about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1855 until 1994.-History:...
council, becoming at 28 the youngest member of the council and Victoria's first Vietnamese councillor. He later went on to serve as the city's mayor for a year in August 1991, the first Vietnamese mayor in Australia, and continued to serve as a councillor until 1994. During this period, he also became involved with the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement, serving as a Migrant Liaison Officer for the National Union of Workers
National Union of Workers
The National Union of Workers is a large Australian trade union formed in 1989.-History:The National Union of Workers of Australia was formed by a progressive amalgamation of unions from 1989 onwards in a time when all Australian unions were merging, with varying degrees of success...
from 1989 to 1993.
In 1993, Nguyen took up a position as a staffer working for then federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...
Gareth Evans. He worked with the Minister for three years before winning pre-selection to contest the safe Labor Legislative Council seat of Melbourne West Province at the 1996 election. Nguyen faced a challenge from left-wing social welfare campaigner Les Twentyman
Les Twentyman
Leslie Jack "Les" Twentyman AO is a prominent youth outreach worker and community activist in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Raised in Braybrook, he is one of Victoria's best known social campaigners, on issues ranging from homelessness, drug abuse, prison reform and social...
, who ran as an independent, but Twentyman's vote dropped from 22.9% an earlier unsuccessful 1992 bid to just 10.3%, and Nguyen was elected. As a member of parliament, he served on the Family and Community Development Committee from 1996-99, the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee from 1999-2006, and the House Committee from 2003-06. He was often a spokesperson for the Vietnamese community in the chamber and elsewhere.
In March 2006, Martin Pakula
Martin Pakula
Martin Philip Pakula is an Australian politician, and a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. He was Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Public Transport in the Labor Government of Premier John Brumby.-Early life:...
, who had unsuccessfully tried to unseat former federal Labor leader Simon Crean
Simon Crean
Simon Findlay Crean is an Australian politician, and the current Minister for the Arts and Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government in the Australian Federal Government. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition at the Federal level,...
in a preselection challenge earlier in the month, was selected instead of Nguyen, despite Nguyen being keen to recontest the seat. In 2008 he considered running to be Labor's candidate in the Kororoit by-election.