Australia elects first Bangladeshi-origin woman as deputy mayor

Bangla Press Desk:  Bangladeshi-origin Eliza Rahman has been elected as the first woman from the diaspora to be elected as a deputy mayor in Australia.

On Tuesday, she assumed the role in the Camden council in South-west Sydney in New South Wales province of Australia, following a vote by her fellow councilors in a general meeting. Her colleague Vince Ferreri has been elected the mayor of the council.With the election, Eliza becomes the second Bangladeshi-origin individual to hold the role of a deputy mayor in an Australian local government body.

In Australia, a council is the smallest unit of local government, and a large city like Sydney can have multiple councils.

Only about two years ago, Eliza was elected as a councilor of the Camden council from the Labor Party. She is only the third Bangladeshi-origin woman to become a councilor in an Australian local government body, following the elections of Dr Sabrin Farooqui and Sajeda Akter Sanjida in 2021.

In September 2023, Masud Khalil became the first Bangladeshi-origin individual to become a deputy mayor in a council. Khalil was elected deputy mayor of Campbelltown City, which lies right next to Camden council in the city of Sydney.