NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has sent a message of congratulations to The Greek Herald on its 95th anniversary this year.
In her message, Ms Berejiklian hailed The Greek Herald as “a great migrant success story, providing its readers with a comprehensive range of local and overseas news since 1926.”
Here is the full message in English:
I am delighted to congratulate everyone involved with The Greek Herald as this fine newspaper celebrates its 95th year with a special edition.
The Greek Herald is a great migrant success story, providing its readers with a comprehensive range of local and overseas news since 1926. It was in the 1960s when the Herald really began to flourish, following news ownership and the introduction of modern technology.
Gladys Berejiklian.
The publication has won numerous awards including the prestigious Presidential Press Award from the Hellenic Republic on two occasions.
While its reporting on current affairs has always been impressive, the community has retained a special place in the Herald’s pages, keeping people in contact through its coverage of local news and social and fund-raising events.
Congratulations to the Greek Herald on 95 years and your outstanding contribution to the community.
It was an eventful game at the CEZ Arena of Ostrava as Maria Sakkari beat the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-2, to claim a position within the last eight of the city’s greatest tennis tournament.
Tensions began to rise during the first set, as the Greek athlete made the break on Ostapenko, causing the 24-year-old to lash out in frustration and curse her opponent. Sakkari asked the game officials to take note of the incident and went as far as bringing it to the attention of the game supervisor.
Once things calmed down and the game resumed, the 26-year-old from Athens began the… onslaught of her opponent, who seemed helpless to stop Sakkari’s powerful serve.
Now concentrating fully on the events unfolding inside the court, the Greek was able to win the first set comfortably 6-4, keeping Ostapenko under pressure throughout the encounter.
Sakkari wins the final point and the game against Ostapenko. Source: WTA
Things continued in the same manner in the second set, with Sakkari finding the break immediately and winning the points during her own serves with no problems, as the Latvian couldn’t come up with any response to her fast-swinging balls.
It came as no shock that the world number 12 came out on top in the second set, 6-2, winning the match and sealing her spot in today’s quarter-final.
According to Sakkari’s statements during the post-match press conference, Jelena Ostapenko apologised for her behaviour during the game, while adding that the Ostrava Open is a tournament that she enjoys.
Sakkari to face Martincova in next round
The 26-year-old will now go up against the Czech player Tereza Martincova in the quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old from Prague made the upset in her last game, beating world number 13 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a heated encounter that ended with two tie-breakers, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6).
Martincova is sure to have the home crowd support, in a game that is set to be held tonight (September 24) at 10pm (AEST.)
The Cypriot issue, the situation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the innovations made by Greece towards climate change were but some of the issues on the agenda as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres during his visit to New York.
Mr Mitsotakis pointed out that Greece will remain a supporter of peace and stability, adding that his country will always seek to collaborate with its neighbours in the eastern Mediterranean in order to seek out a resolution to current affairs, based on the United Nations’ Law of the Sea (UNLCOS) and international laws of justice.
He added that the Turkish violations of Greek waters go against these laws and the map drawn by the UN.
Κατά τη διάρκεια συνάντησης με τον ΓΓ των Ηνωμένων Εθνών @antonioguterres, στην έδρα του Οργανισμού στη Νέα Υόρκη, συζητήσαμε το Κυπριακό, την κατάσταση στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο και τις πρωτοβουλίες που έχει αναλάβει η Ελλάδα για την στροφή προς μία πράσινη οικονομία. pic.twitter.com/XrHYJbB2V7
In regards to the Cypriot dispute, the Greek PM stressed that the single path of negotiation towards solving this important matter can be found from the voting procedures of the UN’s Safety Council. He added that any proposal coming from a third party cannot be accepted as a basis for further discussion.
Mr Mitsotakis also expressed the nation’s full support towards the UN’s efforts on climate change. He said that environmental support was one of the main issues of his own government’s policies.
Regarding the migrant matter, the Greek PM stated that his country has lifted more than its fair share of the load, while adding that Greece has also been quite hospitable towards all the vulnerable groups such as the unaccompanied children.
Finally, during their meeting, Mr Mitsotakis and Mr Guterres talked about the situation in Libya, with the PM expressing Greece’s support towards the UN’s efforts to remove all foreign powers from the nation and to hold the elections at the predetermined time.
The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis alongside the President of Microsoft Brad Smith. Source: AMNA
Mr Mitsotakis also meets with Microsoft President Brad Smith
During his visit to the city of New York, the Greek leader also met with the owner of the US tech giant Microsoft, Brad Smith.
The two men had the opportunity to talk about various topics, such as the company’s continuous investments in Greece despite the ongoing pandemic and the rising dynamic of the Greek economy.
Glad to meet with heads of American Jewish Organizations. We discussed the role of Democracies in the East. Mediterranean in promoting peace & prosperity through respect for UNCLOS and Int. Law. The Greek & Jewish Diasporas are working hand in hand promoting our common interests. pic.twitter.com/dHrRDXb5oT
Mr Mitsotakis had previously met Brad Smith at the World Economic Forum back in January. It’s worth pointing out that Microsoft are in the process of developing their brand new data centres in Athens, while the companies headquarters in Greece has seen one of the biggest rise in personnel worldwide.
The Prime Minister was also scheduled to visit the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas at Ground Zero, however due to an issue with the Archbishop of America Elpidoros, who attended a Turkish-organised event, a move which was heavily scrutinised by the Greek Government, the visit has been canceled.
It will instead be replaced by a meeting with the management team of the Wall Street Journal.
The Athens Public Tobacco Factory at 218 Lenorman Street has become a cultural centre to mark the 200th anniversary of Greece’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire this year.
We take a look back at the factory’s incredible history and share five top facts you should know about it:
1. When was the factory built?
The Public Tobacco Factory was built between 1927 and 1930, and designed by civic architects Pavlos Athanasakis and Antonis Ligdopoulos.
The factory was built by the Greek State at a time when the cigarette manufacturing industry was booming. They wanted to house tobacco processing or packaging companies and tobacco merchants’ warehouses to ensure the control of tobacco taxation.
The factory in the 90’s.
Tobacco was one of the most important crops in the Greek countryside and from the time it was taxed, in 1876, it was a valuable source of income for the Greek state.
So at the beginning of the factory’s operation in 1930, about 25 small tobacco companies were co-located in the building, the last of which left in the early 1990s.
2. The design:
The factory occupies an entire city block, covering a total area of approximately nine acres. Its two floors were constructed in a square pattern, surrounding a ground-level patio, and covered by a glass roof atop an iron framework.
The floor plan of the building was designed in perfect symmetry, with the interior main spaces unified. Both the ground floor and the first floor had lofts. The construction grid that took place, allowed the flexible modifications of the building according to the various uses that it hosted over time.
The patio of the building.
3. Different uses for the factory:
Relatively quickly, with the prevalence of private tobacco factories and mechanised cigarettes, the demand for the building’s premises decreased, which led to its under-operation and the introduction of new uses.
From 1938, almost a quarter of the building was granted for a number of years to the Military Service of Athens, which housed according to the needs of each season the Army Health Service, the Military Tobacco Industry, military prisons (1945-46), residences of refugees from Romania (1952) etc.
The Military Service would leave permanently in July 1963, but again a large part of the building was allocated to various other public services as well, including services of the Presidency of the Government, the Ministry of Finance and the Statistical Service of Greece.
The factory had many different uses. Photo: monumenta.org.
4. Heritage factory:
In 1989, the building and all of its machinery was acquired by the Hellenic Parliament and listed as a historic monument. Renovations on the property began in 2000, but efforts were slowed by the Greek financial crisis of 2009.
Half of the building, which comprises a city block, is currently home to the library of the Hellenic Parliament.
5. Cultural centre:
The factory is now being converted into a cultural centre. But converting the rest of the premises will cost €1 million ($1.2 million) in renovations, which are being funded by Neon, a Greek art foundation established in 2013 by collector Dimitris Daskalopoulos.
Once renovations are complete, the centre will open with an exhibition, Portals, featuring international artists including Michael Rakowitz, Glenn Ligon and Danh Vo.
Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has issued a message of congratulations to The Greek Herald as the newspaper celebrates its 95th anniversary this year.
In his message, Mr Morrison commends The Greek Herald for encouraging “a greater understanding between Australia and Greece” and “sharing the joys of Greek Australians” over the past 95 years.
Here is the full message in English:
MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER, THE GREEK HERALD, 95TH ANNIVERSARY
Congratulations to The Greek Herald on 95 years of telling the stories, celebrating the successes and sharing the joys of Greek Australia.
Your first edition in 1926 referred to Australia as a ‘noble country’ that embraced strong multicultural foundations. Generations of Greek men and women have made a tremendous contribution to this legacy.
Australia is the most successful multicultural nation on Earth, and this is keenly illustrated in the pages of The Greek Herald where your readers find a wonderful celebration of our national harmony and diversity.
Scott Morrison has congratulated The Greek Herald on its 95th anniversary.
For 95 years, you have encouraged a greater understanding between Australia and Greece. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our way of life, the Australian spirit has shone through. At such a pivotal time for the nation, and your paper, The Greek Herald has raised spirits through stories of inspiration and hope.
Our National Plan to ensure we can live with the virus means we are looking to brighter days ahead. I am grateful to The Greek Herald for your efforts to support our plan to open safely and with confidence.
Congratulations again to all the staff, readers and supporters who have been part of The Greek Herald’s long and successful journey.
Ο Ελληνικός Κήρυκας «γεννήθηκε» το 1926 και η Κυπριακή Κοινότητα Νέας Νότιας Ουαλίας το 1929. Είναι, λοιπόν, σχεδόν στην ίδια ηλικία.
Από τότε που δημιουργήθηκαν, έχουν ταξιδέψει μαζί και όπως όλοι οι παλιοί μετανάστες, στάθηκαν ο ένας δίπλα στον άλλον.
Τα δύσκολα χρόνια που πολύ λίγοι μετανάστες γνώριζαν την Αγγλική γλώσσα, ο Κήρυκας ήταν ο τρόπος που ολόκληρος ο Ελληνισμός, όχι μόνο μάθαινε τα νέα από την πατρίδα, αλλά επικοινωνούσε και μεταξύ του.
Σε μια εποχή που ούτε εύκολα μπορούσε κανείς να τηλεφωνήσει στην Ελλάδα ή Κύπρο, τότε που τα γράμματα μέσω ταχυδρομείου έπαιρναν πάνω από δυο εβδομάδες για να φτάσουν και το internet ούτε στην φαντασία μας δεν υπήρχε, ο Ελληνικός Κήρυκας ήταν το πιο αποτελεσματικό μέσο μαζικής επικοινωνίας του Ελληνισμού.
Αυτό τον ρόλο κράτησε και ακόμα κρατά μέχρι σήμερα, ειδικά για την πρώτη γενιά Ελλήνων μεταναστών.
Σε όλα τα Ελληνικά σπίτια υπήρχε ο Κήρυκας σε καθημερινή βάση.
Όταν ο Έλληνας σε ρωτούσε αν διάβασες την εφημερίδα, δεν εννοούσε το Sydney Morning Herald αλλά το Greek Herald…
Όταν λοιπόν η Κύπρος περνούσε δύσκολες μέρες, όπως την δεκαετία του πενήντα και αργότερα, το 1974, ο Ελληνικός Κήρυκας και οι άνθρωποι που δούλευαν σε αυτόν, στάθηκαν δίπλα στους αγώνες του Κυπριακού λαού, όπως στάθηκαν και στο πλευρό των Κυπρίων μεταναστών της Αυστραλίας. Για αυτό τους ευχαριστούμε από τα βάθη της ψυχής μας.
Τόσο ο Θεόδωρος Σκάλκος, όσο και το προσωπικό της εφημερίδας αλλά και η οικογένεια, στάθηκαν αδελφικά δίπλα μας όλα αυτά τα χρόνια και πιστεύουμε πως και στο μέλλον θα είμαστε πάλι μαζί.
Όμως ο Κήρυκας δεν είναι μόνο μια εφημερίδα, είναι και ένα ιστορικό αρχείο όλου του Ελληνισμού της Αυστραλίας.
Είναι ίσως το πρώτο μέρος που οι ερευνητές του μέλλοντος θα ψάξουν για να βρουν την ιστορία ολόκληρης της παροικίας.
Εκεί, όχι μόνο κάποιος μπορεί να διαβάσει για τα γεγονότα στην παροικία, αλλά μπορεί να τα δει αφού υπάρχουν χιλιάδες φωτογραφίες από όλες σχεδόν τις εκδηλώσεις της παροικίας.
Ποιος δεν θυμάται τους αδελφούς Παναγόπουλου και άλλους φωτογράφους που κατά καιρούς δημοσίευαν τις φωτογραφίες τους στον Κήρυκαδεν μπορουσε να ν στον Κηρυκα’΄΄λεψαν στον Κηρυκαινωταν στην παροικια αλλα μπορει να το δει αφου υπαρχουν χιλιαδεσ εα απο την πα!
Χωρίς αυτούς δεν μπορούσε να γίνει η όποια εκδήλωση!
Ο Κήρυκας έχει, με άλλα λόγια, γράψει αυτά που η ανθρώπινη μνήμη δεν μπορεί να συγκρατήσει. Είναι η ιστορία μας!
Εδώ και αρκετό καιρό, ο Κήρυκας στην προσπάθεια του να είναι πάντοτε επίκαιρος, έγινε δίγλωσση εφημερίδα, αλλά είναι και διαθέσιμος στο διαδίκτυο. Αυτό είναι ένα κάλεσμα στις επόμενες γενιές που θέλουν να κρατήσουμε την ταυτότητα μας Ελληνική, να κρατήσουν αυτό το πολύτιμο κανάλι επικοινωνίας ανοικτό.
Αυτό είναι χρέος όλου του Ελληνισμού, διότι ο Κήρυκας δεν ανήκει μόνο στην οικογένεια Σκάλκου. Είναι η ιστορία μας, είναι το αρχείο μας, είναι ότι πολυτιμότερο έχουμε να κληροδοτήσουμε στις επόμενες γενιές.
Ευχόμενοι λοιπόν χρόνια πολλά στον Ελληνικό Κήρυκα για τα ενενηνταπέντε του χρόνια, πρέπει να ευχαριστήσουμε όλους όσους αγωνίζονται σκληρά εκ μέρους όλων μας να κρατήσουν την συνέχιση της ιστορίας μας ζωντανή και να τους πούμε ένα μεγάλο «ευχαριστώ» για το ότι έχουν προσφέρει για τα περασμένα 95 χρόνια.
A shared passion for recycling bottles and cans has seen 12-year-old Greek Australian triplets, Aidan, Bryce and Cooper, join up with their Serbian friends, Tad and Desan, to form the Kaleen Recycle Kids.
The group of youngsters, who range in age from 10 to 13, saw an opportunity to help their neighbours deposit their recyclables whilst in lockdown and now spend their permitted exercise hours collecting bags of cans and bottles on their bikes.
“They went and did a mail drop to all the homes within Kaleen on their bike one afternoon and within the next day, they were receiving phone calls saying, ‘we’ve got bottles, we were keeping them but we’re locked up and we’re happy to donate to you guys’,” Nektaria Stuart, who is mum to the Greek triplets, tells The Greek Herald.
Photos supplied.
“It took off really well. Their first week was mayhem. They were spending the entire hour [which was permitted with COVID restrictions] just literally going out on their bike with their little trailer, bringing back bags and then going to the next house.”
Nektaria says the Kaleen Recycle Kids have so far collected roughly “9,264 containers, they have saved the greenhouse gases by 900 kilograms and 474 kilos they spared to landfill.”
Along the way, they’ve also learnt valuable business skills as sometimes they have to purchase the bottles for five cents each.
“The community has been amazing. We’ve had people where the boys have had to purchase their five cents per bottle, which I think is great because you only learn about money like that,” Nektaria says.
“And they’re getting return customers.”
With such a thriving small business, we just had to ask what’s next for these young entrepreneurs. Nektaria says they plan on taking their initiative to the kids party scene as well and she couldn’t be prouder of them.
“I just think it was really cute that they’re doing this. They are working really hard which I and the other mums, we know they’re good kids, but they’re actually taking it on and they’re working really hard,” Nektaria says.
“It’s not the cleanest job either and we’re just really proud of them to tell you the truth.”
In July this year, The Greek Heraldbroke the news that the Modern Greek Studies Major and Diploma programs at Macquarie University in Sydney would be offered again from 2022.
Following this announcement, The Greek Herald reached out to the university and Dr Patricia Koromvokis, who is the Head of Modern Greek Studies at the university, to find out what steps were taken behind the scenes to make this reinstatement possible.
In a statement, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, Professor Martina Möllering, said “a collaborative approach” together with “support from the Greek community,” led to the positive outcome.
“In 2020, in the context of a wide ranging curriculum review across Macquarie University, a decision was made to remove Modern Greek from the Bachelor of Arts major schedule, and together with Croatian, Italian and Russian, offer it as a minor instead,” Professor Möllering said in her statement to The Greek Herald.
“Throughout the course of 2021, it became apparent that the change led to an overall drop in students enrolling in the Modern Greek language units. The discipline of Modern Greek Studies within the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature worked with the leadership of the Faculty of Arts to find a way to reinstate Modern Greek Studies, together with the three other languages.
“Macquarie University acknowledges that Modern Greek is a language with a very strong base in the Australian community which has substantial interest in Macquarie’s role as a provider of language education, and this has fostered significant partnerships with community groups over time. The Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, which encompasses the Macquarie School of Education, is in a unique position to provide teacher training in the language, and the ongoing work of scholars in Modern Greek Studies has led to philanthropic and research income.
“A collaborative approach to reworking the language curriculum has led to a streamlined approach to teaching languages, with team-taught units that span all major programs of study. This, together with the support from the Greek community, through the Macquarie University Greek Studies Association, has enabled the Faculty of Arts to reinstate Modern Greek as a Major within the Bachelor of Arts, as a specialisation in the Bachelor of International Studies and as Diploma.
“As the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts I am personally very pleased to be able to welcome students of Modern Greek into all of those programs and to continue to build on our very well established connection with the Greek community to develop teaching and research projects that benefit not only the Greek community in Australia but also strengthen the relationship between Australia and Greece.”
Dr Koromvokis with students from the Macquarie University Greek Association. Photo supplied.
Below is a response from Dr Koromvokis regarding the reinstatement:
1. What efforts were made behind the scenes by yourself and the Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation to reinstate the Greek studies Major at the university?
Review of courses is an annual academic procedure. In contrast to last October’s difficult and challenging decision to pause some of the language majors/specialisations and to discontinue some courses in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on staff and students, in June 2021 the Academic Senate decided the reinstatement of Modern Greek as Major/Diploma from 2022.
During this 9-month period multiple negotiations took place between the Executive Team of the Faculty of Arts and the Board of Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation aiming to achieve the best possible outcome for the viability of Modern Greek Studies Program. The Executive Dean, Professor Martina Möllering, a contemporary philhellene, the continuous funding support from Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation and the ongoing support of the Macquarie University Greek Association – MUGA, more specifically, the efforts made by the President, Sam Giovas, and the Vice-President, Zoe Re, played a crucial role for the achievement of this positive outcome.
While languages continue to struggle to gain legitimacy as a key learning area in many primary and secondary schools across Australia and attitudes about the value of language education in tertiary level vary across the academic spectrum leading not only to a societal apathy for learning languages but also to program cuts, reductions and restructuring, the reinstatement of Modern Greek Major in less than a 9 months period clearly demonstrates that Macquarie University values language education.
In parallel with the negotiations, the Program of Modern Greek Studies of Macquarie University has been very active during the last 12 months with engaging community events (e.g., the video conference in the occasion of the International Day of Modern Greek language, the community presentations at the NSW Parliament House and at the Greek Archdiocese on the event of the 200 years of the Greek Independence War), study initiatives (e.g., peer-support language program), impactful partnerships (e.g., the most recent one is the funded research partnership with the St. Basil’s Homes NSW and ACT aiming to teach Greek to the foreign staff of the bilingual aged care facility) and international research collaborations (e.g., the collaboration with the University of Ioannina in the organisation of the 7th International Summer University in July 2021 in Hydra). All these played a significant role not only in the reinstatement of Modern Greek Major, but also in securing a prosperous future.
Finally, the issue of the Modern Greek Major garnered considerable media attention, as Modern Greek is the language of a dynamic diaspora in Australia. The tradition of reading local newspapers has had significant influence and readership and resulted in alerting and mobilising the Greek community.
2. Has the university given any indication that this reinstatement is temporary?
The Major and Diploma of Modern Greek Studies are here to stay! On one hand, the small but steadily growing number of students studying Modern Greek at Macquarie University proves the potential for using foreign languages as a career aid. On the other hand, enrolments have never been and will never be the strength of any Modern Greek Program across the world. We, as academics, have to accept the insight of this reality and offer programs through which language skills learned in classrooms are easily transferable to real-life situations. It is of utmost importance to connect our students with the community.
Moving forward, it is vital to create impactful synergies with the diasporic Greek – Australian community and build international bridges. Macquarie University is open to proposals to collaborate with the community through innovative professional development programs. Some initial steps have been made by the innovative project ‘Learn Greek for better communication in Aged Care sector during COVID pandemic’ which is a funded partnership between MQU and St. Basil’s Homes NSW and ACT under the Macquarie University Enterprise Partnership Scheme and with the successful collaboration with the University of Ioannina for the organization of the 7th International Summer University in July 2021.
3. How will the Modern Greek Studies Major and Diploma work?
There are many study options available to all students who plan to study Modern Greek at Macquarie University. Modern Greek units are offered to all Macquarie students and students at other universities across Australia via the cross-institutional program, on campus in the new language labs of Arts Precinct or fully online. All tutorials are live streamed and recorded.
The Modern Greek Studies Major (HECS funded) will follow the same structure as all the other language majors. Apart from language units, students will be engaged with case studies and undertaking real-life projects in Modern Greek language and culture aiming to develop transferrable skills and versatile employment opportunities. For example, this semester students are actively engaged in the language partnership with St. Basil’s Homes NSW and ACT with the goal to equip the foreign staff with Greek language oral skills and Greek cultural awareness that can be effectively used in their everyday communication with the elderly residents. https://courses.mq.edu.au/2022/domestic/undergraduate/bachelor-of-arts-modern-greek-studies/course-structure#content.
The Diploma of Languages in Modern Greek (HECS funded) is a concurrent degree available to students enrolled in or already possessing a Bachelor degree, and can only be taken on a part-time basis. Students completing a Diploma of Languages in Modern Greek simultaneously enhance their other academic and professional skills and prepare for the multilingual global environment through increasing proficiency in the language of study. They gain an understanding of the society and culture of the countries where the language is spoken. Students learn about cultural differences, analyse the relationship between language and culture, and recognise the importance of cross-cultural communication. The Macquarie University Diploma of Languages in Modern Greek has a distinctive cross-cultural approach and includes opportunities for innovative modes of learning including online delivery and residential units in Greece https://coursehandbook.mq.edu.au/2022/courses/C000327
To ask further details about any Modern Greek program you can speak directly to Macquarie University https://www.mq.edu.au/contact-us or contact Dr Patricia Koromvokis, Head of Modern Greek Studies Macquarie University: patricia.koromvokis@mq.edu
Greek government authorities have begun investigating the ownership status of Bill Papas’ Xanthi FC, after the Forum Group founder claimed he had sold the investment vehicle which housed his shares in the Greek Super League 2 side, The Australian Financial Reviewreports.
It comes as Westpac successfully sought orders for a raft of new Papas-related entities, including vehicles in Greece and the United Kingdom, to be added to its claims of fraud.
The Federal Court of Australia also heard on Wednesday that Mr Papas’ solicitor has sent a notice to the Forum chief executive that he will no longer be working for him.
Bill Papas appeared at a Xanthi FC club on Saturday.
The Committee for Professional Sports – part of the General Secretary of Sports of the Greek government – has twice delayed hearings into the matter, but will return in October.
According to the AFR, the committee has set a hearing for next month “regarding the current ownership status” of Xanthi.
On Saturday, Mr Papas made his first appearance at the football club. He attended a friendly match between Xanthi FC and Olympiacos B, along with Xanthi chief executive Anastasios Giamouridis and club vice-president Fanis Ouzounidis.
New South Wales’ Premier, Minister for Multiculturalism, and Chief Deputy Health Officer met with multicultural media on Wednesday to discuss the state’s pathway to freedom.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said state borders won’t open until all states reach their 80 percent double-dose vaccination target.
“NSW is likely to hit that figure before any other state, but we have to wait for all the other states to catch up … before we can hope to freely travel around Australia,” Berejiklian said.
She said overseas travel may come sooner for states which reach the target early.
“So even though the other states may not have caught up to us yet, I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to not only welcome home many Australians through Sydney Airport but also have the opportunity to travel overseas ourselves,” she said.
She added that returning Australians from overseas who are jabbed with a federally recognised vaccine will be able to quarantine from home.
NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, spoke with multicultural media on Wednesday.
“We will be able to have home quarantine for Australians coming back home from overseas, but they will need to be fully vaccinated with a vaccine that our health authorities think is safe,” she said.
“We know that the vaccines available in Australia are extremely effective and safe, but not all vaccines around the world have demonstrated the same level of effectiveness and safety.”
Chief Deputy Health Officer Marianne Gale added that unrecognised vaccinations are an issue that is “going to need to be worked through” as Australia reopens.
“I know that the [Therapeutic Goods Administration] is actively looking at these issues…” she said.
“At present, we recognise the vaccines approved by the TGA and understand that it is an issue still under consideration by the Commonwealth.”
Overseas travellers to Australia who are inoculated with an unrecognised vaccine aren’t the only ones who may miss out.
Chief Deputy Health Officer Marianne Gale.
The Premier said unvaccinated Australians shouldn’t expect freedoms once the state reopens.
She said they may still be waiting weeks longer to access venues.
“Unvaccinated people will not be allowed into venues or events to make sure we keep the population safe,” she said.
“We shouldn’t assume that unvaccinated people will have freedoms at 80 per cent [sic].”
Minister for Multiculturalism Natalie Ward added that rules will likewise apply to businesses.
“I know people want to get back to work and businesses want to get back to running their businesses,” she told The Greek Herald, but “there will of course be specific health orders to make that absolutely clear.”
Meanwhile, the State Government is gearing up its vaccine rollout for children.
“Whilst we require childcare workers [and teachers] to be vaccinated at this stage, there is no vaccine available for children under the age of 12,” Berejiklian said. It follows reports that children aged between five and 11 could get Pfizer COVID jabs in Australia by the end of the year.
