A Matt Guy Liberals and Nationals Government will commit $4 million over four years to help Victoria’s multicultural communities acquire cultural heritage objects, initially targeting Greek, Italian, Chinese and Indian projects.
This newly created fund will aim to enhance existing infrastructure symbolic of a community’s heritage and widely recognised by the broader Victorian community.
The fund will also support projects that aim to establish heritage projects that serve the needs of the ethnic-specific community and have a wider use and appeal to Victorians.
Under the Liberals and Nationals’ plan, we’ll also establish a new ‘culture-specific’ Museum Grants Program to support existing culture-specific museums and institutions, as well as the establishment of new ones.
Leader of the Liberal Party, Matt Guy, said the Liberals and Nationals recognise the vital role that multicultural communities play.
“Victoria is a proudly diverse and multicultural state with a rich heritage to celebrate. This commitment will help build stronger connections and communities across Victoria.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President, Xi Jinping at the G20 summit held in Bali, making Albanese the first Australian Prime Minister to have talks with the Chinese leader since Malcome Turnbull in 2016.
In their discussion, it was stressed that there would be no immediate change to China’s position on issues such as trade disputes.
“We have had our differences, and Australia won’t resile from our interests and values,” Mr Albanese told Mr Xi at the start of the meeting.
“I look forward to a constructive exchange and dialogue today.”
The meeting was held at the luxury Mulia Resort in Nusa Dua Bali, down the road from where G20 leaders have been holding talks all day.
“I’m very pleased that we are having this meeting here today,” Mr Albanese said.
“It comes at a time of great global uncertainty. We’re facing challenges of COVID and the recovery, dealing with climate change, and also supply-chain shocks.
“As we manage these challenges, we need to work towards a stable, prosperous and peaceful Indo-Pacific and an international system that is governed by international law and the principles that are enshrined in the United Nations charter.”
The Victorian Government has today announced that if re-elected, it will invest $500,000 towards the All Nations Football Cup – the state-wide soccer tournament for men and women aged 18 to 34, with $50,000 in prize money for each winning group.
Speaking about the All Nations Cup tournament, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews praised it as an initiative that harnesses and celebrates the power of diversity, whilst revealing the cup will be delivered in partnership with Football Victoria.
“Victoria’s cultural diversity is what makes our state great – multicultural festivals and events are an important way to celebrate the contribution communities have made – and continue to make,” Mr Andrews said.
In celebration of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and in the lead-up of the 2023 Australia and New Zealand Women’s World Cup, Andrews’ Government will also support bringing an elite Greek football team, whether the national team or a top club, to play a friendly in Victoria as part of the 2023 All Nations Football Cup final.
“We’ll support multicultural communities with more sporting events for all Victorians to experience,” Mr Andrews said.
For his part, Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos, praised the success of the All Nations Cup, whilst adding: “Labor has a strong record of supporting multicultural communities and will continue to do so by hosting an All Nations Football Cup.”
The Greek Team part of the 2022 All Nations Cup.
Speaking with The Greek Herald, President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Bill Papastergiadis OAM expressed GCM’s excitement and enthusiasm with the announcement.
“On the back of the interest and success of Team Greece at the All Nations Cup, it’s heartening to see the Victorian Government supporting an expanded competition in 2023,” he said.
“With Melbourne being a globally recognised Greek city it makes sense to bring a major Greek team from Greece to Melbourne. Such events add more connections between our two great countries and highlight the importance of this relationship.
A member of the well-known Toumazos family of the South Australian Fish Factory fame, has been charged with child abuse offences, The Advertiserhas reported.
Panagiotis Toumazos has been charged with making a child amenable to sexual activity, procuring a child for sexual activity and having sexual intercourse with a person under 14.
According to court documents, the Prospect man was granted bail in September, the same month the alleged offences ended. He is yet to enter a plea to any of the charges.
Toumazos, 36, known as Yioti or Yotis, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday where conditions of his bail were heard. As per the conditions, he must check in at Kingston Police Station, where his bail conditions allow him to visit for work on a nearby family farm.
His lawyer, Rino Zollo, asked Magistrate John Wells if a change to those conditions could be made so Toumazos could attend his Prospect home to carry out maintenance. Mr Wells granted the change to Mr Toumazos’s bail conditions.
Since its founding in 1981, the family-run seafood company, Fish Factory, has grown from retail to include fishing, processing, wholesale, distribution, and export.
There is no suggestion that the company or other family members are associated with the charges.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday that if re-elected his government will increase the department and agency advertising expenditure allocated to multicultural media and communications from 5 percent to 15 percent.
Mr Andrews said that as the state comes out of “COVID exceptionalism,” it’s time for the government to further support multicultural media.
“We think this [the 15 percent increase] is exactly the way to make sure that you’ve got the revenue that you need to thrive, to keep telling the story, to keep being a trusted voice, to keep making sure that everyone is getting the information they need to participate, to be part of this brilliant multiculturalism that defines us,” Mr Andrews added.
The Victorian Premier also announced a further $1.5 million for grants multicultural media will be able to apply for.
This comes as the Victorian Liberal Party also announced today it will increase state government department and agency advertising expenditure for multicultural media from 5 percent to 12 percent in the first year, and then 10 percent for the remainder of the term.
The initial 12 percent will assist culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) media outlets, including new and emerging communities, with the increased costs and challenges associated with providing their service.
Each Department will have designated CALD media units to ensure the advertising allocation is exclusively within CALD media.
“This commitment will ensure our multicultural communities remain engaged with the broader community and provide them with the knowledge to participate fully in local activities,” Leader of the Liberal Party, Matt Guy, said.
The votes for the 2022 Council Elections across South Australia have been counted and at least seven candidates of Greek heritage have won spots on their respective councils.
Here is The Greek Herald‘s full list:
1.City of Adelaide, North Ward – Mary Couros (Independent)
“I’m elected as North Ward Councillor – City of Adelaide. Cheers to my family, friends and to everyone who voted and supported me throughout the campaign. I’m honoured,” Mary Couros wrote on her Facebook Page announcing her re-election.
2.City of Charles Sturt, Findon Ward – Peter Ppiros (Member of the Australian Labor Party)
3.City of Onkaparinga, Thalassa Ward – Marion Themeliotis (Member of the Liberal Party of Australia)
4. City of Playford, Ward 1, Peter Rentoulis (Independent)
5. City of Unley, Unley Ward – Stephen Finos (Independent)
“The provisional votes are in and I am proud to be one of your Unley Ward Councillors! I look forward to working with the new Council and representing the people of Unley. Thank you to Sue Dewing for your efforts over the past four years. A huge thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the campaign. I look forward to being your voice in council,” Finos’ FB Post reads.
6. City of West Torrens, Keswick Ward – Elisabeth Papanikolaou (Independent)
In a Facebook Post, Elisabeth wrote: “Thank you to the residents and ratepayers of Keswick Ward for their support in my re-election.”
“I will continue to work conscientiously over the next four years to represent your needs and the wider community of West Torrens together with my co-Councillor John Woodward and the other elected members,” she added.
7.City of West Torrens, Thebarton Ward – Zoi Papafilopoulos – Australian Labor Party
In a message on Facebook, Papafilopoulos said “I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been provisionally elected as Councillor for the Thebarton Ward in the City of West Torrens. A massive thank you to the residents who entrusted me with their vote. Thank you to the wonderful businesses who allowed me to put my face on their shopfronts and walls.
“Thank you also to all my friends and family who volunteered their time to assist me with my campaign. I’ve met a lot of delightful people in our community and look forward to meeting many more. I look forward to representing the Thebarton Ward for the next four years.”
NOTE: The above candidates were identified by surname. If you believe you should be on this list, please email us at info@foreignlanguage.com.au.
Tuesday marked the 39th anniversary of the illegal declaration of a “state” in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyrpus.
Marking the occasion, Greece’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement in which they deem Turkey’s demand for a two-state solution in Cyprus as “unacceptable.”
“It undermines all efforts to resume negotiations for resolving the Cyprus issue in the framework of UN resolutions,” the statement reads.
Cyprus was split along ethnic lines when Turkey invaded 48 years ago. Only Turkey recognises a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third.
“Thirty-nine years after the illegal and condemned declaration of the pseudo-state, no state accepts or recognises any legal or international status of this entity,” the Ministry added.
.@GreeceMFA Statement on the 39th anniversary of the illegal declaration of the pseudo-state in #Cyprus
This comes after a recent Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, where the nation renewed calls for the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to receive legal recognition.
The calls have been rejected by the wider international community, including the European Commission and most recently, the US State Department.
“The United States rejects statements calling for the recognition of the so-called ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’,” a US State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Pointing to the recent summit, the spokesperson said: “This decision is inconsistent with the principle of territorial integrity and the UN Charter. The United States recognises the government of the Republic of Cyprus as the only legitimate government of the island.”
For his part, European Commission spokesperson, Peter Stano said on Saturday: “The EU has made it repeatedly clear, including at the highest political level, that the EU recognises only the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law.”
“Any action to facilitate or assist in any way the international recognition of Turkish Cypriot secessionist entity severely damages efforts to create an environment conducive to resuming settlement talks under the auspices of the United Nations,” he added.
Greece defeated host Belgium 72-70 earlier this week, earning a spot in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Greek national team needed to win at Mons in order to proceed to the finals of the sport’s global showpiece, especially after their home loss of 80-60 to Latvia in Iraklio last Friday.
Although Greece found itself trailing by three (34-31) at the half in Belgium, they shined in the third quarter with Giannoulis Larentzakis and Nick Calathes, keeping the hosts at bay and finding more ways through the Belgian defence.
With the help of hundreds of expats and travelling fans from Greece, the national team overcame a late challenge from Belgium to secure the crucial victory, sealing their passage to the finals in Asia.
The finals are taking place from August 25 to September 10 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
The Brotherhood of Chalkidiki “Aristotelis” of NSW Incorporated hosted a dance in honour of their 60th anniversary at the Pan Arcadian Federation Club in Ashbury on Saturday night.
On the night, guests enjoyed food by Kouzina Catering, music by DJ Harry Wild, and a night full of laughs and dancing.
Greek dancing was performed by the Academy of Greek Traditional Dance by Dimitrios and Stavroula Papapetros, with music from Chalkidiki and in traditional costume.
President of the Brotherhood, Costa Dantos, spoke on the night thanking members of the committee and guests for their attendance.
“The Chalkidiki committee and I would first like to thank you all for coming to our dance tonight to celebrate 60 years since the establishment of our association,” Dantos said.
He went on to speak about the importance of the committee always remembering the significance of Chalkidiki and the place it holds in Greek history.
“It is important to remember that Macedonia was, is and will always be only Greek,” he said in his speech.
The Mytilenian Brotherhood of Sydney and NSW hosted an impressive annual dance to commemorate 110 years since the liberation of Lesvos from the Ottoman Empire.
Members and friends of the Mytilenian Brotherhood gathered on Saturday, November 12, alongside special guests to attend a truly beautiful and pride-filled anniversary event at Sydney’s Mytilenian House.
The President, Mr Peter Psomas, welcomed the attendees and respectfully asked everyone to observe a minute’s silence for the 110th anniversary before introducing the official guests.
Official guests included the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Sydney, Mr Harry Danalis; President of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Ms Nia Karteris; President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Canberra, John Loukadelis; NSW Labor Member for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis MP; Secretary of the Cypriot Community of Sydney, Michalis Kyriakou; Presidents of the Antissian Association of NSW, Ms Maria Iatrou and Trish Loukis; and former Presidents of the Mytilene Brotherhood, Yiannis Spanelis and George Proestos.
During his speech, Mr Psomas said: “Tonight we commemorate the 110th Anniversary of the liberation of island Lesvos.”
“Let’s remember and acknowledge our fallen heroes who fought and lost their lives for our beloved island. Eternal Memories, long live Lesvos long live Freedom.”
For his part, Mr Danalis welcomed attendees and emphasised the importance of such commemorations to honour and pride not only Mytilenians, but all Greeks.
The President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Canberra and former President of the Antissian Association of NSW, Mr Loukadelis, spoke with pride about the liberation and its importance in Greek history.
In closing his speech, he shared a proud sentiment, exclaiming: “Long live Lesvos.”
The event was accompanied by the melodies of the ОPA OPA orchestra band and was coloured with performances by Maria Houliaras’ Sydney Greek Dancing School.
