Opinion: Tharini Apolline Rouwette
Finally! An independent candidate for the #houseofrepresentatives that #multicultural #australia can get behind! Dai Le , who is currently the Deputy Mayor of Fairfield city, will be running against the elite, white, candidate, Kristina Keneally, who the ALP parachuted into the diverse community of #Fowler.
Many of you will recall how Labor’s Kristina Keneally was hand-picked by the party’s executive leadership to represent a multicultural #Fowler while making no apologies for pushing aside a community favourite and their own party member, Tu Le , all for her own personal gain! (Read this article for context: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-27/parliament-does-not-reflect-culturally-diverse-australia-tu-le/100490038)
This was not just an insult to the diverse community of #Fowler but also an insult to #multicultural Australians who have been fighting for a seat at the table to represent their own communities for decades now. This is the reason why I felt compelled to launch the “Centre of Multicultural Political Engagement, Literacy, and Leadership” with the singular goal of increasing multicultural representation in #auspol. (Click this link to read more about the work we do: www.compell.com.au)
The true test for any political party or independent is not just about their decisions when it’s convenient but also what they choose to do when things are challenging. Unfortunately, the ALP has failed this test. So have the “Voices of” Independents who are represented by more of the same elite, white, privileged, upper-class Australians AND backed by well-known financial backers of the same kind.
(I could write more about how it always seems that the rich get backed by more rich people, whilst also seeking donations from the public to fund their campaigns, whilst candidates like Dai Le are left to source their own funding. I won’t get into that right now but it’s something we need to seriously think about.)
I would suggest these independents take a leaf out of Dai’s book because the privilege of representing your community comes with YEARS of rolling up your sleeves and putting in the hard work of on-the-ground community service. The “Voices of” Independents, unfortunately, are made up of candidates who have had lucrative careers with scant examples of community service other than having served in boards etc… (Click this link to read more about them: https://lnkd.in/gZsbFxxa)
(I can also write more about how a select committee made of up privileged, elite people, hand-picked these “Voices of” independents and how they actually do not represent their communities. But my personal experience having been involved with one of them is for another day.)
Today, it’s about Dai Le and how much her candidacy means to us as multicultural Australians. Candidates like Dai don’t have the financial backing of elite organisations like the ones backing the “Voices of” Independents, but they’ve got us and we need to turn up for her!
Click this link to read more about Dai Le and how you can support her: https://lnkd.in/ggGfJn4T
#auspol #community #multiculturalism #federalelection