We will proceed with a coded, highly unbiased assessment of the social integration and political intervention of Australians of Greek ancestry. Each paragraph of this article could be essentially an independent chapter of the presence of Greek settlement in this country. It will be good to recall some important periods of the evolution of Hellenism, honouring the memory and work of all those who contributed to the progress of the country, including our children and grandchildren.
It remains a historically indisputable fact, and it has emerged in the richest historical literature, that the approximately 16,000 Greeks who had settled in Australia during the pre-war period experienced the prejudice and xenophobia of Australians. Many Greeks fell victim to racism and persecution, and many were forced to flee to the vast countryside to work as loggers and farmers. Those who were compelled to find themselves in the country’s major urban centers worked in the few factories, which were the privilege of British subjects, or sought protection in the kitchens of the restaurants of their pioneer Greek compatriots. With the return of the 17,000 Australian soldiers in 1945 from the Greek fronts of Macedonia and Crete, friendly relations were cultivated between the Greek settlers and the Australians. The initial prejudice progressively faded and hundreds of Australian veterans had the opportunity to publish stories of sacrifice and deprivation by Greeks in order to protect Australian and New Zealand soldiers from Nazi troops. At the same time, aid campaigns were organised for the Greek victims of the war, the refugees and the poor, who had gathered by the hundreds in the large urban centers of Macedonia. Australia has carried out a humanitarian campaign and tax exemptions on products transported to Greece, and has systematically provided special shipments of food, pharmaceutical material, wool and clothing.
Australia is a country of immigrants. Its society consists of 120 ethnic groups with different cultures and languages, with English being the dominant one. Since 1946, 60,000 Cypriots and 270,000 Greek immigrants have settled in Australia. After 1972, the country cultivated multiculturalism as the ideal system of governance, offering the opportunity to the country’s ethnic groups to preserve and cultivate the culture that the migrants brought from their ancestral homes. A multicultural state radio and television station operated, a national policy was formed for languages other than English, the languages of immigrants were protected and operated in state schools, and in general emphasis was placed on the importance of the cultures that immigrants brought with them. This state of harmonious cohabitation of the various ethnic groups led to easier communication between them and to the effortless exchange of customs and ways of life.
In general, Australia’s foreign policy, as far as Greece’s national issues are concerned, was seriously influenced not only by the numerical strength of the Greeks in Australia but also by the political pressure exerted, from time to time, by the organised Greeks. Many entrepreneurs maintained communication and participated in political forums that influenced financial decisions. Many of the industrialists emerged as great benefactors of Hellenism and masters of letters and arts. Dozens of Greek businessmen and merchants financially supported the activities of Greeks in letters, arts and culture, with their donations and grants.
Greece did not show much interest in the Greeks of Australia until 1974. The first agreements signed between Greece and Australia had no substantial effect, with the exception of the immigration agreement signed in March 1952. It had only been preceded by the agreement that allowed the transfer of the migrants’ assets, in September 1949. The lack of agreements on immigration, cultural and social issues has deprived the communities of the Greeks of Australia of the assertion of rights, but also of better communication with Greece and the Greeks. When the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Karamanlis, came to Australia (March 1982), the first substantial scientific agreements were signed and conditions for cooperation between universities, cities, commercial and industrial organisations of the two countries were created. Since then, there has been an intense visit from Greece by politicians, academics, military dignitaries, people of letters and art.
Almost all Greek immigrants became citizens of Australia and therefore retained their dual citizenship. This, despite the great advantages, caused serious social problems. The compulsory conscription in Greece, the retirement, the different legal status, the ignorance of the Greeks to declare a family portion in Greece caused serious problems in the relations of the settlers with their old homeland. Hellenism of Australia maintained a strong awareness of its dependence on Greece. Immigrants and their children generously offered in times of crisis and national calamity (wars, earthquakes and disasters). On the national issues of Hellenism, they organised fundraisers, marches and demonstrations in favour of Greece, even if they were directed against the Australian government.
The Greek Diaspora reacted to national issues with determination, organising massive marches, enlightenment rallies, fundraisers, plays, musical competitions, student competitions and a systematic campaign to influence Australian politicians. In most cases, due to the reactions of the Greek community, the country’s governments took care to take decisions that were favorable to Greece and the Greeks. The Macedonian Problem and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus were the two national issues that Hellenism of Australia served with passion. The Greek communities appeared effective on issues that offended the prestige and honesty of the Hellenism of Australia and offended the national security and prestige of Greece. From 1969 onwards, Hellenism began to demand better conditions in terms of social welfare and the preservation of its cultural identity. In close cooperation with the large ethnic groups of Italians and Germans, Hellenes managed to secure the right to transfer pensions to Greece from 1972, with many amendments until 2014; to have a say and to propose to the Government views on unemployment issues (1969); to systematically pressure the Government on immigration policy issues by demanding an increase in the number of immigrants (1985). In 1983, in a coordinated manner, Hellenism protested with a report to the Court of Human Rights against the Immigration Law of 1958, because it contained “anachronistic verses” that recognised some privileged nationalities over others, while since 1984 the participation of Greeks in the Australian Parties’ conferences where their programs and policies were drawn up was evident. In 1986, it became known that from the American bases of Pine Gap in central Australia, the Americans, with the tolerance of Australia, had installed spying mechanisms through satellites of the phones and communications of the Greek Government. The organised Hellenic community protested in a coordinated manner with a delegation to the Prime Minister of the country, who was forced to declare that “Australia would never proceed to actions that would endanger the security of Greece“.
After 1960, Greeks with a strong political consciousness, mainly leftists, joined Australian local party organisations and formed their Greek-speaking branches. Twenty years later, their Australian-born children became ministers and MPs, senators and mayors, local government councillors and directors of prime minister’s offices. In 2021, there were 28 elected politicians of Greek origin in Australia, while more than 120 were mayors and councillors. The Governments of Greece and Cyprus on many occasions have requested and willingly received the practical assistance of MPs of Greek origin in Australia in order to exercise a more effective foreign policy in the handling of its national issues.
In the next article we will refer to the cultural contribution and integration of the Greeks of Australia.
*Professor Anastasios M. Tamis taught at Universities in Australia and abroad, was the creator and founding director of the Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora and is currently the President of the Australian Institute of Macedonian Studies (AIMS).
