The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) is led by commissioners appointed by the Governor-in-Council for terms of up to 4 years.
As required under the Multicultural Victoria Act 2011, the VMC includes:
- Chairperson
- Deputy Chairperson
- Youth Commissioner
- Community Representative Commissioner
The VMC Commissioners:
- work at a grassroots level to gain a solid understanding of the issues facing ethnic communities
- attend events
- liaise between different faith and community groups
- meet on a monthly basis
- develop strategies to address community issues
Viv Nguyen, Chairperson
Current term: 24 August 2019 to 23 August 2023
First appointed: 24 August 2019
Being a passionate advocate for genuine community engagement and diversity is Viv Nguyen’s greatest talent. This is something Viv was involved in not long after arriving in Australia as a 12 year old refugee.
For over 25 years Viv has worked as a business executive and a community leader in corporate, community and government settings agencies applying her business knowledge, leadership and technical expertise to help organisations with funding, governance, risk management, stakeholder relationships and to advance their social objectives. Viv has held roles at the AustChoice Financial Services, AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group where she led the global organisation’s diversity strategy.
Viv’s contribution was recognised and as a result she was recorded on the Victorian Honour Roll in 2002 for advocating for women in leadership and work with Vietnamese young people. In 2003 she was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal.
Along with her corporate career, Viv’s community activities span across many different cultures to provide input into public policy on asylum seekers, civic engagement, participation, anti-racism and human rights.
During her time with the Vietnamese Community in Australia – Victorian Chapter, Viv founded the Dual Identity Leadership Program which is now in its 9th year, designed to young Australians of Vietnamese background to embrace their identity to be great Australians. She also played a key role in advocating for Australia’s first Vietnamese cultural museum during her time as President.
In her first year as the Chairperson of the VMC, Viv has sought to provide a platform for communities to voice their opinions despite the challenges that 2020 presented and now hopes to partner with community to promote and inspire Victorians to continue embracing and celebrating our diversity and differences.
Bwe Thay
Deputy Chair to August 2021
Current term: September 2019 to September 2023
First appointed: September 2019
Bwe Thay is a spirited advocate for a multicultural Australia. He works to develop the capacity of multicultural communities, with a focus on leadership development, education and employment outcomes. His involvement extends from working with individual communities to advocacy at the highest levels. His work informs the direction and policy of service providers, business and all levels of government.
Bwe has held many leadership roles within Victoria’s multicultural sector and has been widely recognised for his advocacy, community service and professional achievements. This recognition includes the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Emerging Leadership in Multiculturalism Award.
Bwe has a strong commitment to promoting harmony by engaging and bringing communities together to build a vibrant society. His practical, hands-on approach is well recognized within multicultural communities.
He currently chairs the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Gippsland Regional Advisory Committee and is a Multicultural Ambassador for the Mental Health Foundation of Australia.
Mohammed Yassin, Community Representative Commissioner
Current term: September 2019 to September 2021
First appointed: September 2019
Mohammed Yassin is an emerging leader and a former refugee, arriving in Australia in 2003 and settling in Shepparton for two years before moving to Melbourne. An entrepreneur and advocate with a passion for supporting multicultural communities and young people, Mohammed is the founder and CEO of Culture and Co, a cultural training and consulting organisation that is working with the government and the non-for-profit sector to create programs that meet the needs of people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
He has completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with Honours from the University of Melbourne and worked as a cancer research scientist with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Currently, he serves as board of directors member with the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria and a project lead - “Strategic partnerships and community engagement” with Spectrum MRC.
Khayshie Tilak Ramesh, Youth Commissioner
Current term: September 2019 to September 2021
First appointed: February 2019
Khayshie Tilak Ramesh is a passionate advocate for the inclusion of youth voices and diverse communities. Khayshie is an active member of her local community in Bendigo, as Youth Mayor and Chair of the City of Greater Bendigo Youth Council. She also co-founded and served as Vice-President of Young People for Refugees, a youth advocacy service in Bendigo. Khayshie is a Board Director of Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services and ARC Justice; a member of Ambulance Victoria Community Advisory Committee and City of Greater Bendigo Economic Strategy Committee; and was a member of the Victorian Government’s Multicultural Youth Network. She is also a Multicultural Ambassador for Bendigo Foodshare. Khayshie was recognised as Young Citizen of the Year in 2017 and was named in the Top 100 Future Leaders. In 2019, Khayshie was awarded the Law Institute of Victoria’s Law Student of the Year.
Tina Hosseini
Current term: October 2015 to August 2021
First appointed: October 2015 (former Youth Commissioner)
Tina is a passionate campaigner for multiculturalism, human rights, social justice and adolescent health and well-being. She is currently a Research Fellow at Swinburne University, focused on the evaluation of school-based training programs in the area of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). She was previously a Deakin University Research Fellow where she researched adolescent prevention-based projects focused on reducing problem behaviours such as drug and alcohol use, mental health issues, antisocial behaviour, family conflict, school disengagement and depressive symptomology.
She is an active member of the Iranian Women’s Association, Deputy Chair of the Victorian Red Cross Board, a Board member of the City Local Learning and Employment Network, a Member of the Victorian Children's Council and an inaugural member of the Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Strategic Advisory Committee.
Tina holds a Master of Science (Distinction) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne and has completed the Foundations of Directorship course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has also held leadership roles with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia, Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre and was a previous chair of the Multicultural Youth Network.
Shankar Kasynathan
Current term: September 2019 to September 2023
First appointed: September 2019
Shankar Kasynathan came to Australia with his family as refugees. Over the past 15 years he has worked closely with refugee and migrant communities in Victoria, the Northern Territory and the ACT. A skilled communications and public policy specialist, he has degrees in Economics and Public Policy. He is an active supporter of community organisations that help to build partnerships and social cohesion in regional areas. Since December 2017, Shankar has been a national campaign manager with Amnesty International Australia. He is also an ambassador for the Migrant Workers Centre. He currently resides in Geelong where he is the Chair of the Barwon Regional Advisory Council.
Walter Rapoport
Current term: November 2017 – August 2021
First appointed: November 2017
Walter Rapoport is a former Chairperson of the Council of Christians and Jews (Victoria) and edited the Council’s annual journal, Gesher, from 2013 to 2016. Walter has had a long and abiding interest in interfaith and intercultural engagement and served as the inaugural Chairman of the interfaith relations committee of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission, an Australian organisation dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and all other forms of racism and hatred. He also chaired the steering committees of two projects delivered under the Commonwealth Government’s Living in Harmony grants program, ‘Building Bridges’ and ‘Embracing Youth’. He is cofounder and joint-CEO of a finance company.
Dr Judy Tang
Current term: September 2019 to September 2023
First appointed: September 2019
Judy Tang is a strong advocate for multiculturalism and LGBTIQA+ communities with expertise in psychology, ageing, research and mental health. With extensive relationships across government and community groups, Judy has volunteered for more than 10 years to promote and advocate for multiculturalism and equality for migrants.
She is a former VMC Multicultural Champion and President of the Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council, a national body that advocates for the rights of multicultural and multifaith LGBTQIA+ people and communities. Judy has a doctorate in neuropsychology and is a practicing Clinical Neuropsychologist.
Rosaria Zarro
Current term: November 2017 to August 2021
First appointed: November 2017
Rosaria Zarro has been an educator for the past 19 years, with experience teaching Italian, Science and History in government schools and cultural organisations. She has worked for Museum Victoria, Museo Italiano and the State Library of Victoria to produce and deliver education programs based around their exhibitions and collections. In her role as commissioner, she chairs the VMC Barwon South West Regional Advisory Council and in 2020 joined the Loddon Mallee Regional Advisory Council, providing information about issues and challenges impacting multicultural communities in the region to government. She also sits on other boards that represent the CALD communities in the health sector and in education.
Reviewed 23 February 2021