Mrs Therese Ngoc Le-Dang

It is my honour to recognise Mrs Therese Ngoc Le Dang (also known as Kim Ngoc Dang) for her lifelong contribution to my electorate of Cabramatta and beyond. Mrs Dang's journey has been remarkable, from being one of the first women to hold a government position in the Republic of Vietnam as a diplomat in the late 1960s, to fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and assisting in the establishment of the Vietnamese Community in Australia. Since arriving in Australia with her family as refugees in 1978, Mrs Dang has dedicated nearly half a century to empowering women and strengthening the community through her leadership roles in the Vietnamese Women's Associations, the Vietnamese-Australian Women's Forum, as President of the Tan Dai Viet Party, and many others. Now in her 80s, Mrs Dang continues to inspire, leading a project to honour exceptional Vietnamese refugee women in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia next year in 2025. I extend my deepest gratitude to Mrs. Dang for her leadership and dedication to enriching our society, and I wish her continued good health and success.