By Ilias Karagiannis
Kalliopi Vetta still remembers her first visit to Australia. It was back in 2003, when, as a performer with the Mikis Theodorakis Popular Orchestra, she toured Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin.
“The reception from the Greek community – full of emotion and tears – has remained indelibly etched in my memory,” she recalls today.
Two decades later, life has taken her from the music stage to the Hellenic Parliament. Today, as the SYRIZA–PS MP for Kozani, she is championing an issue that lies close to the heart of the Greek diaspora:
the reopening of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) office in Melbourne.
On September 5, she submitted a parliamentary question to the Ministry of Tourism, demanding answers for the prolonged delays that have kept the office inactive for two and a half years – despite repeated government promises to reopen it by January 2023.
For Ms Vetta, these delays – part of what she describes as a broader pattern of government neglect towards the GNTO – represent a missed opportunity to promote Greece in a market of strategic importance.
“Plenty of announcements, zero action,” she says pointedly, reminding readers that the government pledged as early as January 2023 to reopen the office, yet no progress has been made.
“Melbourne and the Hellenism of Australia cannot wait any longer,” she stresses. “Greece cannot afford lost opportunities.”
Perhaps that first encounter in 2003 came full circle – her voice now echoing once again, not on the music stage but within the halls of Parliament.
What led you to submit a parliamentary question about the delays in reopening the GNTO office in Melbourne, which the government had announced in January 2023?
I submitted the parliamentary question because, although the government had committed since January 2023 to open a GNTO office in Melbourne, there has been no substantial progress to date. The then-Minister of Tourism announced the immediate operation of the office, later reaffirming this commitment. In February 2025, in a letter to the Greek Community of Melbourne, the GNTO Secretary-General admitted that the establishment process was still pending.
This delay is yet another example of the communication-driven tactics of the ND government and the overall neglect to which the political leadership of the Ministry of Tourism has subjected the GNTO. Many announcements – no action. This is the ND pattern.
It is telling that in recent times, offices have been shut down both abroad, such as in Spain, and domestically, such as the Acropolis Office. At the same time, the Organisation is suffering from severe understaffing due to mass retirements, while the Ministry has proven incapable of filling the vacant positions. The loss of experienced personnel has drastically reduced the GNTO’s operational capacity and undermines Greece’s tourism development strategy, effectively paving the way for outsourcing the country’s tourism promotion to third parties.
Through my parliamentary question on 5 September 2025, I expressed my deep concern about the consequences of this government inertia and called for the immediate activation of the office, demanding clear explanations for the unjustifiable postponement and a concrete implementation timetable.
The delay in reopening the Melbourne Office deprives Greece of valuable opportunities for promotion and cooperation at a time when rival Mediterranean destinations are systematically investing in their presence in long-haul markets.
Tourism development – and especially our presence in a market such as Australia – requires consistency and planning, not empty words. Melbourne and the Hellenism of Australia cannot wait any longer. Greece cannot afford missed opportunities.
What do you believe lies behind the government’s significant delays?
Let me remind you that as early as January 2023, then Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced the immediate establishment of the Office, emphasising the importance of the Australian market – particularly given Melbourne’s 300,000 Greek Australians and the post-pandemic momentum. He even reiterated this pledge in April of the same year.
This delay is symptomatic of a broader policy of devaluing the GNTO.
Our criticism concerns the government’s lack of consistency and effectiveness – announcements alone are not enough without action. Through our parliamentary intervention on the Melbourne Office, we demand a clear operational timetable, sufficient staffing, and the mobilisation of cooperation with the diaspora, so that the GNTO Melbourne Office can serve as a genuine multiplier of tourism growth for Greece.
The Greek community in Australia has expressed deep disappointment over the delays. How important do you believe this office is for Greece’s image abroad and for Greek tourism?
Australia is one of the world’s largest economies, closely linked with the emerging Asian market, and holds strategic significance for Greece. The GNTO Office in Melbourne is not merely an administrative outpost but a vital tool of strategic tourism policy. It directly connects our country with one of the most dynamic tourism markets while leveraging the strong ties with the large Greek diaspora.
The unjustified delay in establishing the Office undermines the trust of the diaspora in Greece’s institutions and damages the competitiveness of Greek tourism. The GNTO’s absence in Melbourne weakens ties with the Greek diaspora and Greece’s image abroad, undermining the Organisation’s main mission: to promote and advertise the country, opening pathways to growth and prosperity.
Indicatively, in 2024, Australian tourists increased their average per capita spending by 45.5% (€1,594.4) and their per-night expenditure by 62.9% compared to 2019. Despite fewer visitors, their contribution remains highly significant.
The delay in launching the Office, despite official commitments and the generous support of the Greek Community of Melbourne (which offered space, facilities, and rent-free premises), has shaken the diaspora’s trust and highlights the government’s broader disregard for the GNTO. We see office closures in other countries and delays in new establishments at a time when Greece faces intense global competition. This deprives the country of valuable opportunities for visibility, partnerships, and attracting visitors from a long-haul market, while other Mediterranean destinations are strengthening their presence.
As you know, the Greek Community of Melbourne has already allocated space within the Greek Centre and pledged full support for the office’s operation and goals. However, there are reports that the Ministry is considering housing it within the Consulate. In your view, would such a choice serve the purpose of reopening, or would it limit the GNTO’s impact and visibility in Australia?
I do not know the Ministry’s intentions, as we are still waiting for official answers, nor the parameters of such a decision. In any case, the Greek Community of Melbourne and the diaspora should have been formally informed as to whether the building can be used or not.
What matters is that the reopening proceeds immediately, in a way that guarantees the GNTO’s dynamism and visibility in Australia. Trust and cooperation with the diaspora are essential in every respect.
If the Ministry of Tourism fails to respond within the parliamentary timeframe, do you intend to submit a topical question? Does this mean we will finally get an answer regarding the Office’s operation?
We will continue the parliamentary struggle by all available means until clear answers are provided and the government’s commitment is finally implemented.
Our aim is to bring this critical issue into public discussion while exercising institutional oversight -highlighting problems, presenting proposals, and practising constructive opposition.
As to whether we will receive a specific answer – I hope so, as I have faith and respect in Parliament and its procedures. I also hope that the Minister of Tourism shows the same respect.
What is your message to the Greek diaspora of Australia, whom you met during your artistic tour in 2003?
I was born and raised in Livadero, Kozani. I always carry with me that land, its people, and my childhood memories. Thanks to my great love, music, I travelled far and wide, but I never ceased to feel connected to my roots.
I encountered those roots in 2003, when together with Dimitris Basis and the Mikis Theodorakis Popular Orchestra I travelled to Australia for the first time. I had never been before, and I was overjoyed to sing in cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin. There, I reunited with relatives and friends who had migrated, and I met the diaspora up close—who welcomed us with tears of emotion and deep love for Mikis, with whom I collaborated for many years, and for his music. That connection remains an unforgettable experience.
I then witnessed firsthand the strong bond linking Kozani to the Greeks of Australia. I knew their struggles, their anxiety, and their longing for the homeland, which they visit whenever they can.
I long to return to Australia—to see our expatriates again and share with them this timeless message of connection and unity that endures despite life’s challenges and differing paths.
The Greek communities of Australia, with Melbourne among the oldest, are centres of creativity, culture, and collective identity. Thousands of our compatriots, in search of a better life, came to Australia with a shared goal: to improve their living conditions and build a more hopeful future for themselves and their families.
Through their struggles and sacrifices, our expatriates have kept our language, faith, and traditions alive. They have built schools, churches, charitable institutions, and cultural initiatives that highlight Hellenism. Many Greeks from Western Macedonia—the region I come from and represent—found in Australia a second homeland that embraced them, while they, in turn, contributed to the host country’s economic growth.
Through their work, the Greek communities have ensured that the link with Greece and their place of origin never fades—supporting both the newly arrived and those who stayed behind. We owe it to them to honour this contribution, to strengthen our ties with the diaspora, and to safeguard this invaluable asset that the Greek diaspora represents for Hellenism across the world.
