The Victorian Government has appointed community leader Bwe Thay as the new Deputy Chair of the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
As Deputy Chair, Mr Thay will support Chair Vivienne Nguyen in steering the Commission and working to identify and address issues faced by Victoria’s multicultural and multifaith communities.
Mr Thay – a refugee who arrived in Australia in 2009 – has been serving as a VMC Commissioner since September last year and has been a member of the VMC Eastern Metropolitan Regional Advisory Council since 2017.
He has a long history of advocating for diversity, having held many leadership roles in the multicultural sector, with a focus on creating jobs and improving education for new and emerging communities.
Mr Thay has been recognised with a number of community and academic awards, including the VMC Emerging Leadership in Multiculturalism Award in 2018.
He is also the Migrant Program Coordinator at Swinburne University.
The VMC promotes the social, cultural and economic benefits of our cultural diversity, oversees a network of Regional Advisory Councils and delivers Victoria’s largest multicultural celebration, Cultural Diversity Week.
As stated by Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence
“I’m pleased to be welcoming Bwe as the deputy chair of the Commission, where I know he will continue to be a strong advocate for people from diverse backgrounds.”
“I thank outgoing Deputy Chair Maria Dimopoulos for her service to multicultural Victorians over many years.”
As stated by VMC Chair Vivienne Nguyen
“I look forward to working with Bwe to deliver a range of initiatives that achieve positive outcomes for culturally, religiously and linguistically diverse Victorians – and to foster harmony and understanding between communities.”
