Eliza Rahman, a politician of Bangladeshi origin, has been elected as the deputy mayor of Camden Council in New South Wales, Australia. Vince Ferreri has been elected as the mayor of the council.
The new mayor and deputy mayor were elected by councillor votes at a general meeting of Camden Council held on Tuesday.
Eliza Rahman was elected as a councillor from the North Ward of Camden Council in the 2024 local government elections. The other two councillors elected from the same ward are Vince Ferreri and Dr Abha Suri.
Camden Council comprises a total of nine councillors representing three wards: North, Central, and South.
The responsibilities of the councillors include the long-term development of the local area, planning, decision-making based on community needs, and determining priorities for the future prosperity of Camden.
Prior to her election as Deputy Mayor, Eliza Rahman had been working on various key local issues as a councillor in Camden. She is actively involved with multicultural societies and immigrant communities.
She is also the founder and chairperson of Multilingual Community and Culture, an organisation that works to celebrate Sydney’s social diversity and assist immigrants.
In a media interview, Eliza Rahman expressed her determination to build bridges between Bangladesh and Australia, and to showcase Bangladeshi culture within Australia’s multicultural society.
Councillor Vince Ferreri, who has assumed the mayoral office alongside her, was also elected as a Camden councillor for the first time from the North Ward in the 2024 local government elections.
Following the news of Eliza Rahman’s election as Deputy Mayor, joy and excitement have spread among the Bangladeshi diaspora living in Australia.
Many view her achievement as a significant milestone in the advancement of Bangladeshi women in Australia’s mainstream local government and public service.
