As of this week, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Yiannis Loverdos—the minister responsible for the Greek Diaspora—is touring Australia and New Zealand alongside the General Secretary of Home Affairs and the General Secretary of Citizenship.
They have already met with Archbishop Makarios and the board of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW in Sydney. Their itinerary includes stops in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, and Wellington, with the stated aim of engaging with Australia’s Hellenism and addressing its issues. This visit is set to be followed by others in the coming months, including that of Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Traditionally, the “golden standard” for Greek state officials visiting Australia involves meetings with the office-bearers of our institutionally defined Greek Australian community. Yet, this defined community does not represent, nor does it significantly influence, the social, economic, and political outcomes of the wider Greek Australian community, let alone the broader Australian society.
The usual playbook also includes brief meetings and group photos with Greek-heritage members of parliament, alongside interviews with community media. And then, that’s it.
I do not know the specific program for this current delegation. I hope that this time things might be different, but that remains to be seen.
My genuine hope is that the Deputy Minister and the two General Secretaries will also schedule substantive meetings with their Australian counterparts. This is crucial not only because Australian institutions are the ones that truly represent and shape outcomes for all of society, including the Greek Australian community, but also because there is much Greece could learn from them.
They could gain valuable know-how on Australia’s immigration program and its multicultural policies. Conversely, they could offer support from now for Australia’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a seat Greece has held in the past.
It is perfectly fine to talk to Greek Australian organizations and “prominent” community figures—they play an important role, largely in cultural matters. But they are not the ones running the show, representing the wider community, or making a decisive difference to the lives of Greek Australians.
It is the Australian government and its institutions that influence all these outcomes. That is where the primary focus of this visit needs to be.
