Members of Australia’s Greek community have reached out to The Greek Herald expressing mixed responses to comments made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the recent visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The reactions relate to the Prime Minister’s public statement that, “For a century, the Church has preserved the culture and language of Australia’s Greek community, connecting generations to their heritage.”
A protest statement was first issued in late October 2024 by Kostas Karamarkos and Theo Markos. Signed by 109 Greek Australians, they called out the PM for his “historically inaccurate” public statement.
Later, on Tuesday, November 5, the Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales (GOCNSW) also sent a protest letter to the Prime Minister. The letter was signed by GOCNSW President Harry Danalis and Treasurer Chris Belerhas.
GOCNSW said the comments were “historically incorrect but also an affront to the Greek Orthodox Communities of New South Wales, the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne, the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia and other Greek Associations numbering in the hundreds throughout Australia which were created by lay persons and which have contributed to the teaching of the Greek language, provided cultural activities, taught Greek culture, celebrated the various National days of Greece, and represented the voice of the Greek people in our community.”
Whilst some members are supportive of the statement and protest letter, others are not.
In an opinion piece sent to The Greek Herald, Yiannis Constantinou asked, “What part of the Prime Minister’s statement is historically inaccurate? What part is misrepresenting history?”
“If the Prime Minister stated that Hellenism in Australia only started in 1924, I’m sure everyone would agree in protesting. But, he did not!” Yiannis wrote.
“How can anyone reasonably argue that it is historically inaccurate to say that, for a century, the Archdiocese has preserved the culture and language of Australia’s Greek community, while also connected Greek Australians to their heritage? It is undeniable that the church by its functions is inextricable from our culture, language, and heritage.”
Yiannis added that the Prime Minister’s statements “do not diminish the valuable contributions of other organisations to the Greek Australian and wider community, secular or otherwise.”
“Acknowledging one organisation is not an attack on others,” he said.
“In my opinion, the protest serves absolutely no benefit and has the potential to send us backwards. It risks portraying the Greek Australian community as divided and focused only on our self-image.
“If a simple comment about the valuable work of the Archdiocese leads to animosity, disputes, resolutions at a general meeting and a letter of protest, won’t that make the Prime Minister at least think twice about supporting Greek Australians in the future? Wouldn’t it make others hesitant to offer their support, for fear of backlash?
“The Greek Australian community already faces enough challenges in today’s day and age. We must remember that there are no sides—we are all Greek-Australians.”
