Tajik community members in Dandenong came together to meet with the City of Greater Dandenong to clearly state that no individual has the authority to represent all ethnic communities of Afghanistan without their collective consent and support. We emphasized that Afghanistan is home to many distinct communities, each with its own identity, history, and voice. This important meeting reaffirmed our commitment to fair, inclusive, and authentic representation, ensuring that every community is respected and speaks for itself.

Throughout the meeting, representatives highlighted the rich ethnic and cultural diversity of Afghanistan, explaining that the country is home to Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Pashtuns, and many other communities. They also noted that Australia is home to these same diverse communities, all of whom have established their own organisations and community representatives. Participants stressed that recognising and respecting this diversity is essential to ensuring fair and inclusive representation.

The discussion also focused on the importance of the Dari (Persian) language, with community representatives explaining that it is one of Afghanistan’s principal languages and is spoken by a significant majority of the population, including people from many different ethnic backgrounds. During the meeting, participants also referred to various publicly available demographic estimates and mentioned a public statement attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he stated that approximately 42% of Afghanistan’s population is Tajik. The discussion emphasised that, regardless of differing demographic estimates, every community should have the right to speak for itself through its own legitimate representatives.

During the meeting, the Mayor acknowledged that he had not previously been fully aware of the size and long-standing presence of the Tajik community living alongside other Afghanistan communities within the City of Greater Dandenong. The discussion provided an opportunity to introduce the Mayor to the history, identity, and contribution of the Tajik community in Australia and to explain the important role it plays within the broader multicultural community.

The Mayor welcomed the opportunity to better understand the diversity of Afghanistan’s communities and expressed his commitment to maintaining ongoing communication with the Tajik community. He indicated that he would remain in contact with community representatives and would also raise these matters in discussions with Federal Members to help ensure that the voices of all communities are recognised and appropriately represented.

The meeting concluded with appreciation for the City of Greater Dandenong’s willingness to engage directly with the community and listen to its concerns. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to continuing constructive cooperation with local government, strengthening relationships between community organisations and public institutions, and promoting a multicultural society founded on fairness, respect, inclusion, and authentic representation for every community.