Tung The Ngo ( vi, Tùng Ngô, ; born 1972) is an Australian politician in the
South Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...
for the
South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party since the
2014 election. Ngo is linked with the
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) is the largest private sector trade union in Australia, representing retail, fast-food and warehousing workers, and has branches in every state and territory. Its membership is pre ...
(SDA).
As a child, Ngo spent a year and a half in a refugee camp in the Philippines Palawan Refugee Camp before arriving in Australia as a ten year old with his older sister in 1982.
He attended
Adelaide High School
Adelaide High School is a coeducational state high school situated on the corner of West Terrace and Glover Avenue in the Adelaide Parklands. Following the Advanced School for Girls, it was the second government high school in South Australia ...
then
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...
where he attained a degree in Computer and Information Science. Tung became the first Vietnamese person elected to Local Government in South Australia, he was elected to the, then
City of Enfield
The City of Enfield (formerly District Council of Yatala South) was a local government area of South Australia from 1868 to 1996. It was known as Yatala South up until 1933, which was named for its local government area predecessor, the District ...
Council in 1995. During his election campaign, Tung was targeted by white supremacists and personally criticized at their protests. Despite intimidation and threats, having witnessed divisive intolerance, as a local Councillor Tung wanted to break down barriers between all migrants and the broader community. He openly shared his culture and raised awareness of cultural differences.
He continued in the
City of Port Adelaide Enfield
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield, located across inner north and north-western suburbs of Adelaide, is one of the largest metropolitan councils within South Australia. It was established on 26 March 1996 by the amalgamation of the City of Por ...
until 2014. He is married and has three children. When elected to the South Australian Parliament in 2014, he became the first Vietnamese-born Member of Parliament in South Australia. Tung was the founder of the Vietnamese Boat People Monument unveiled in February 2021 on the Adelaide Torrens Riverbank
It is a monument to remember the plight of Vietnamese boat people, the events that brought them to Australia, those lives that were lost, and to thank Australians for a new home full of hope and opportunities.
References
External links
*
Parliamentary Profile: SA Labor website
Members of the South Australian Legislative Council
1972 births
Living people
Australian politicians of Vietnamese descent
21st-century Australian politicians
University of Adelaide alumni
People educated at Adelaide High School
Australian politicians of Asian descent
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