South Australian MP Sam Duluk has appeared in court charged with basic assault over inappropriate conduct at a parliamentary Christmas party last year.
Duluk came before Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being accused of making inappropriate comments to SA-BEST MP Connie Bonaros and allegedly slapping her on the buttocks at the party on December 13.
It was his first appearance since police issued a summons with the former Liberal represented by high-profile lawyer Marie Shaw QC.
Sam Duluk is accused of making inappropriate comments to an MP and slapping her buttocks at a party. Credit: AAP.
Ms Shaw asked the court to issue a subpoena for certain documents to be produced by the company appointed by former parliamentary speaker, Vincent Tarzia, to investigate the allegations.
She said the defence was also waiting for the prosecution to disclose other information.
“That disclosure, I understand, is in train but the prosecution do seek more time to respond and provide the relevant documents,” she told the court.
Ms Shaw asked for the case to be adjourned for six weeks, with magistrate Alf Grasso ordering it return to court on December 9.
Duluk was banished from the Liberal Parliamentary Party over his behaviour and had his wider Liberal Party membership suspended.
But the parliamentary inquiry into his conduct was put on hold while the police investigations were underway.
A statement condemning the acts of neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn, has been signed by Greek Australians from across the country, ahead of the final court verdict on the party, which is expected to come on Wednesday, October 7 at 11am.
“As Australian citizens of Greek background we followed and condemned all these years, the criminal acts of Golden Dawn in Greece. We also were opposed to the extreme ideology and terminology expressed by their few vocal supporters in the community here in Australia.
We hope that the decision of the Greek court on Wednesday, 7 October 2020, in the trial of Golden Dawn will put an end to this organisation. We hope that the court will rule that they are a criminal organisation and guilty verdicts on all charges will be handed down. Further, that the leadership of Golden Dawn are held criminally responsible for the charges and that the crimes were not committed by individuals acting alone as the public prosecutor has argued.
A guilty verdict on all charges will ensure and protect the democratic values of Greece the country of our forbearers.
We also welcome the shared position of all the Greek political leaders and parties of a democratic persuasion who stand united in their opposition to Golden Dawn as reported in the Greek media in Athens.
The intimidation of citizens, the undermining of democratic politics and institutions through violence and murder or through racist and extreme language, have no place in Greece.”
SIGNED BY:
Peter Alexiou – Sydney
Cathy Alexopoulos – Melbourne
Dimitris Alexopoulos – Melbourne
Panos Apostolou – Melbourne
Agi Argyropoulos – Melbourne
Argyris Argyropoulos – Melbourne
Leonidas Argyropoulos – Melbourne
Christos Belerhas – Sydney
Vangelis Bogias – Adelaide
Dimitris Bosinakis – Melbourne
Haritomeni Christofaki – Melbourne
Nikos Dallas – Melbourne
Harry Danalis – Sydney
Maria Danos – Melbourne
Euphrosyne Deligianni – Sydney
Alexandra Delios – Canberra
Nikos Dimopoulos – Melbourne
Elias Diakolabrianos – Melbourne
Elias Donoudis – Melbourne
Nick Doumanis – Melbourne
John Dramitinos – Sydney
Anita Filopoulou – Melbourne
Angelo Gavrielatos – Sydney
Steve Georganas MP – Adelaide
Anthoula Giannakopoulou – Melbourne
Vassilis Gonis – Adelaide
Dimitris Gonis – Melbourne
Makis Hatzilepos – Melbourne
Anastasia Hantzi – Melbourne
Niki Hantzi – Melbourne
Sotiris Hatzimanolis – Melbourne
Tammy Iliou – Melbourne
Anna Kadas – Melbourne
Alexis Kakafikas – Melbourne
Panagiotis Kalathas – Melbourne
Konstantinos Kalymnios – Melbourne
Ashur Kamber – Melbourne
Fotis Kapetopoulos – Melbourne
George Karagiannis – Melbourne
Vrasidas Karalis – Sydney
Kostas Karamarkos – Melbourne
Dimitra Karagiannis – Melbourne
Nia Karteris – Sydney
Panagiotis Katsabanis MP – Perth
Stavros Katsimantakos – Melbourne
Alekos Katsifaras – Melbourne
Alexandros Kirkilis Kalathas – Melbourne
Stylianos Klapsinos – Melbourne
Marietta Kokka – Melbourne
George Koletsis – Melbourne
Odysseas Kripotos – Melbourne
Ioanna Kyrkilis – Melbourne
Thanasis Koveos – Melbourne
Efstathia Konstantopoulou – Melbourne
Ioanna Konstantopoulou – Melbourne
Dimitra Lagoudaki – Melbourne
Giannis Lesses – Adelaide
Stylianos Lilimbakis – Melbourne
Angelos Makrigiorgos – Melbourne
Theo Markos – Melbourne
Costas Markos – Melbourne
Niki Matziaris – Melbourne
Jorge Menidis – Melbourne
George Messinis – Melbourne
Stavros Messinis – Melbourne
Giannis Michanetzis – Melbourne
Costas Mytilinis – Sydney
Toula Nicolacopoulos – Melbourne
John Pantazopoulos – Former State Minister/ Melbourne
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has congratulated Eleftheria Tosiou, who has a disability, for making her dream of climbing Mount Olympus come true.
“It was a fantastic idea and we are very happy you implemented it,” the Prime Minister can be heard saying during a special video conference last night.
Eleftheria’s dream was made possible with the help of long-distance runner, Marios Giannakou, who carried Eleftheria on his back as they climbed Greece’s highest point.
Είχα μία ξεχωριστή συζήτηση με την Ελευθερία Τόσιου, που αντιμετωπίζει με θάρρος μια σπάνια ασθένεια και σήμερα κατάφερε, με τη βοήθεια του Μάριου Γιαννάκου, δρομέα υπεραποστάσεων, να κάνει ένα όνειρό της πραγματικότητα: Να ανέβει στην υψηλότερη κορυφή της Ελλάδας, στον Όλυμπο. pic.twitter.com/30xKhLUUgI
“There is nothing more real than the dream,” Giannakou wrote on Instagram, as they reached Mytikas, the peak of the Mountain of the Gods, at 9:02 local time.
The successful expedition means that Eleftheria is now the first person with a disability to see Greece from its highest point, according to Giannakou.
Eleftheria only met Giannakou last week, where she expressed to him her desire to climb to the highest peak of Olympus, a route the athlete has already completed 50 times successfully.
Giannakou quickly checked his schedule, studied the meteorological forecasts and organised the appropriate support team for the project.
On the day, Eleftheria was attached to a specially modified backpack which Giannakou carried on his back throughout the climb, while his team tied him and secured him on the rocks.
Microsoft has announced plans to build three data center sites in greater Athens, providing a badly needed investment of up to $1 billion to the Greek economy which has been hammered by the pandemic.
The news was announced on Monday by the US tech giant and Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and follows nine months of confidential negotiations for an agreement which also includes digital-skills training programs for some 100,000 government and private sector workers, as well as educators and students.
“This significant investment is a reflection of our confidence in the Greek economy, in the Greek people and the Greek government,” Microsoft President, Brad Smith, said at a ceremony held in the Acropolis Museum, facing the ancient site in central Athens.
Microsoft President, Brad Smith, left, speaks next to Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during a ceremony held in the Acropolis Museum, central Athens, on Monday, October 5, 2020. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
“It’s not something we do often and it’s not something that we do lightly.”
Greece recently emerged from a years-long financial crisis but its economy has been hard hit by the pandemic, suffering a 15.2 percent drop in output on the year in the second quarter. Unemployment in June climbed to 18.3 percent from 16.4 percent at the start of the year.
According to budget figures submitted to parliament Monday, Greece’s economy is expected to contract 8.2 percent this year due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and grow by up to 7.5 percent next year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the country’s heavy reliance on tourism.
The Mitsotakis government says it wants to shift the balance of the Greek economy during its recovery, developing the energy, tech, and defence sectors, hoping to lure back tens of thousands of graduates who left during the crisis.
Microsoft President, Brad Smith, attends a ceremony held in the Acropolis Museum, central Athens, on Monday, October 5, 2020. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
“We are starting to create the conditions for their return,” Mitsotakis said. “The creation of a data center upgrades a country as an investment destination … Greece has the sun and now it’s getting a cloud.”
Microsoft currently has data centers in 26 countries, including seven in the European Union. The company based in Redmond, Washington, is already working with the Greek government on an augmented reality project on Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games.
Microsoft officials said the timetable for the development of the data center in Greece was still being worked out, but added that the process in other countries typically took about two years.
Greece, the officials said, would comply with Microsoft’s pledge to run all its data centers worldwide on renewable energy sources by 2025.
Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the quarter-finals of the French Open for the first time as he brushed aside Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-2 on Monday.
The Greek fifth seed was solid on serve throughout and played neatly as his Bulgarian opponent lost focus at crucial times under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier.
Tsitsipas will now take on Russian 13th seed, Andrey Rublev, with a last-four clash with world number one Novak Djokovic looming.
“I felt comfortable. Playing Grigor … he can be unpredictable so coming into the match you don’t know what to expect,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will next face Russian 13th seed Andrey Rublev.
“We have a similar style of play so I knew if I could be as aggressive as possible and use my forehand and my serve I knew my opportunities would come.
“My aggressiveness on return games and my focus on important points made the difference.”
The 22-year-old raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set. Eighteenth seed Dimitrov went up a gear at 5-3, only to see three break points saved by Tsitsipas, who served it out to take the set.
The Greek had the upper hand in the second set, creating three break chances while comfortably holding serve. Tsitsipas won a tiebreak after saving two set points.
“The tiebreak was where all the money went. I tried to take it point by point, I showed a lot of discipline. It was a very responsible win in the second set,” said Tsitsipas, who had a medical time out for an irritated left eye.
Being two sets down looked too big a mountain to climb for Dimitrov, who buried a volley into the net to hand his opponent the first break in the third set.
The black-clad Greek went on to wrap up a straightforward win on Dimitrov’s serve.
Greek philosopher Aristotle said that ‘those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.’
This quote finds a context after our conversation with Mrs Efrosini Stefanou-Haag.
A mentor to students and teachers alike, a dedicated educator and great leader, Mrs Stefanou-Haag retired last week from her position as Head of St Spyridon College after nearly two decades of service, passing the baton to the new Head of College Mrs Amelia Katsogiannis.
During her tenure, Stefanou-Haag, produced four five-year Strategic Plans which resulted to the College being ranked in the top 100 schools of NSW at the HSC exams, coming 62nd out of 811 schools in 2016.
Despite her commitments, she found the time to reply to The Greek Herald’s questions about her career, the memories she will take with her and the crucial role of the youth for the future of Australia’s Greek Community.
At Brighton Le-Sands, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date: 27 September 2020.
Q: Mrs Stefanou-Haag, after almost two decades of service you retired from the position of Head of St Spyridon College. How do you feel?
A: I feel at peace, for two reasons.
First, is that Archbishop Makarios, has thankfully demonstrated his love for young people and his commitment to the future of Greek Orthodox schools in Australia.
Second is that the Board of St Spyridon Parish has appointed Mrs Amelia Katsogiannis, as the new Head of College. She is an outstanding educator, and she has the respect and trust of our parents and students. So the future is in excellent hands, and on leaving, this means everything to me.
I also feel deep sense of gratitude that together with Father Steven Scoutas, our Parish Priest who is also the founder of the College, all the Board members and our teachers, we have provided to our students a strong sense of belonging, and a strong sense of identity, on the foundations of Greek Orthodox faith and Hellenic ideals. This has been a privilege.
Together with our parents we have seen our students take their place in the world with confidence and success-across every area of endeavour-from professors, teachers, doctors, business, lawyers, politicians -our alumni are influencing every area of the Australian society. And I am very proud that over 100 of our students are the children of Alumni.
I am really going to miss this place.
At Kingsford, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date: 16 September 2020.
Q: What are the fondest memories you will take with you from your teaching career?
A: There are so many…
Watching the children saying prayers in Greek during Assembly, our deep and meaningful discussions with senior students about poetry and literature, the Primary students sitting me down to admire their bookwork, crying with laughter at performances of comedies like ‘Despinis 39 Chronon’ or ‘Ta Kitrina Gantia’, the musical showcases, the P&F Spring Fairs and Mothers’ Day dinners.
A Treasured memory, is the Year 12 students gleaming with happiness as they celebrate their successes in the HSC. Our Divine Liturgy Services, and the 25th March celebrations. Just walking around the school, and seeing the exuberance and energy of our young people .
It is all part of the same experience.
Q: Talk to us about your achievements and the difficulties you faced during the years.
A: The difficulties and the achievements go together – nothing worthwhile is achieved without sacrifice.
The role of the Head is to take a school forward, and to do this, they have to take people with them. Everyone is called upon to change, to change their perceptions and their way of seeing their immediate world. This is not easy, especially as what you promise at the end of the rainbow, cannot even be imagined when you first describe it. It has to unfold. This is the nature of the job.
But as I said before, I have been blessed with my co-workers -they placed their trust in me and supported me.
As a result, we have increased our enrolments, improved our students’ academic results, added to the subjects choices and sports offerings, built a strong sense of pride in the school’s uniform.
We are recognised as a school of quality by the Independent School sector and our teachers provided educational leadership to teachers across New South Wales. Our latest exciting event, is the opening of our Kinder Minus 1 class in 2021.
Q: What are some of the things that we -parents and members of the wider community- do not understand about educators?
A: Parents rightly focus on their own children- the teacher has to focus on every child and on all groups of children. This means teachers are managing diverse expectations and perceptions of parents and the community at large.
Educators live with a high degree of public accountability. This requires them to plan, program, research, monitor and evaluate. They are responsible not just for academic outcomes but the care and well-being of each child. It is very complex work, whose results may not be seen until many years after the child has left the educators’ care.
Parents cannot be expected to understand the work of educators, but they can be expected to respect and support it. I believe the majority of parents across school do so, particularly now, following the pressures that were forced on families and nations during the COVID pandemic.
Q: This year has been a challenging one for everyone in the community, but we saw how resilient students and teachers proved to be. What has this year taught you?
A: What I learned is that ‘O kalos o kapetanios, stin fourtouna fainetai’ (σ.σ Ο Καλός ο Καπετάνιος στηφουρτούνα φαίνεται). We have weathered the storm that hit us when we were in unchartered waters.
Through all this, it is our faith in God that sustained us all. Our students strengthened their resilience, because we as teachers and parents, made sure they knew they were loved and cared for.
Every action we took, every decision we made was measured and weighed against what they needed to stay focussed and healthy. In the final analysis, we all had to learn to trust the experts, follow the rules and pray for the best.
Q: How important is the role of the youth for the future of Australia’s Greek Community and what are some of the challenges they are confronted with?
A: Our young people are critical for the future of our community, our church, this nation, and this planet. Their challenge is a very serious one. To clean up the mess those past generations have created for them. Their burden is no less critical than to save the world-to save humanity.
To find ways to create peace when they witness war in all areas of life-to go beyond the platitudes that divide us and to unite to solve pressing problems-the environment, the ubiquitous presence of digital communications, the attack on our faith and our core values – just to name a few such problems.
Concluding our interview, Mrs Stefanou-Haag thanked us for our “sustained focus on the future of our Greek Orthodox community in Australia”. But we, community media, exist to tell the stories of inspirational people like her and those of the young Greek Australians, who she has nurtured.
*The Greek Herald team would like to thank Mrs Efrosini Stefanou-Haag for her service and wishes her a happy and lengthy retirement.
In a year full of travel misery and COVID chaos, there is still one ironic bright spot – Greece and Australia have ranked in the top ten most powerful passports in the world, according to the latest visa index data.
Greece has ranked 6th in the world, with a mobility score of 124, while Australia ranked an amazing 2nd, with a mobility score of 128.
In top place was New Zealand’s passport, with 129 mobility points. For the first time, NZ beat its strong competitor, Japan, with the country slipping to second alongside Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea and of course, Australia.
The Passport Index is one of several indices which measure the amount of visa-free world travel. It looks at the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories.
European countries make up the bulk of the top 10.
Propping up the list are the usual suspects Afghanistan and Iraq. Their citizens only have access to 31 countries visa-free.
Global Passport Power Rank 2020:
New Zealand 129
Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, South Korea, Japan, Australia 128
Sweden, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, Spain 127
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, Grecian Purveyor has partnered with Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) to raise awareness and funds for all women and men that are affected by the disease.
Grecian Purveyor says they were “inspired” by the incredible story of Sweet Greek founder, Kathy Tsaples, who is a breast cancer survivor.
“From the discovery of “just a cyst” to beating an aggressive stage 3 breast cancer, she made the decision to pursue her passion for cooking, as she was only given a few years to live,” a press release from Grecian Purveyor explains.
Grecian Purveyor adds that Kathy’s story was the catalyst to select BCNA for their fundraiser, a charity created by people for the people in need and who provide support throughout their journey.
anitavogelzang.com
“With the support of the BCNA, I personally found great comfort knowing that I could reach out to someone other than my doctors for help and support for both me and my family,” Kathy Tsaples says.
“Through the BCNA, I have cemented valuable friendships and relationships that I hold dear to my heart and now make it my personal mission to help those in need whenever and however possible.”
Grecian Purveyor have created a special edition bottle of their First Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a powder pink colour to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Australia, and now globally including USA, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Denmark and Greece.
All bottles are created by hand by Greece’s most renowned ceramicist George Vavatsis, bearing the Ladi Biosas logo in the Apollonia font designed by engraver Takis Katsoulidis.
Two cookbooks, a Melbourne produce store, and a strong initiative to charge through life, Kathy’s story is one to be admired. Photo: gastrology
“The artistic approach of the new bottle is to showcase the multidimensional synergies of Ladi Biosas partners, and an action that aims towards the continuation of awareness of a major health issue such as breast cancer,” Fofi Nikolaides says.
“Nearly everyone is impacted by breast cancer in some way. Everyone has a story to tell. The more educated the society is, the greater defense there is against cancer. We believe that is everybody’s obligation to educate, prevent, learn more and bring awareness to this prolific disease.”
Grecian Purveyor also announced that they will donate $10 to Breast Cancer Network Australia with every bottle sold during October to provide support for all people in the country that are affected by breast cancer.
Australia has raced to the forefront of the development of quantum computers, snaring arguably the world‘s leading researcher in the field – Greek American Professor John Martinis.
Professor John Martinis previously led a Google team that gained world acclaim after demonstrating the power of quantum computers to outperform classical computers, an exercise known as “quantum supremacy.”
He will join forces with Australian technology start-up, Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), which was founded by Professor Michelle Simmons AO from the University of NSW in 2017.
Their main aim is to accelerate the development of a commercial quantum computer.
Professor John Martinis previously led a Google team.
“I’m hugely excited to join the team at SQC,” Professor Martinis said about the announcement.
“Building a quantum computer is my lifelong ambition. If we can build one successfully at scale, it will be a transformational achievement with tremendous impact for humankind.
“I chose to come to SQC because of the promise of the unique approach in fabrication at the atomic level. No one else in the world can do what these guys are capable of.”
Speaking after two weeks in quarantine, Professor Martinis also told The Australian that Professor Simmons invited him to join SQC after he left Google in April.
“Her proposal was the most interesting one for me,” he told the media outlet, adding that the immediate goal was to build a quantum computer by 2023.
Over the past decade, Professor Simmons and her team have delivered a series of impressive technical milestones, including their recent demonstration of the fastest two qubit (quantum building blocks) gate.
“Professor Martinis’ track record of success and intense focus on building a commercially useful quantum computer aligns with our goals at SQC,” Professor Simmons said.
“We have developed atomically-precise fabrication techniques that are uniquely suited to building a quantum computer. SQC is focusing on scaling up its technology platform.
“This is exactly what John did at Google. We are delighted that he has chosen SQC and Australia for his next move.”
The Benaki Museum is seeking to establish a permanent presence in Australia and the United States, while also creating a trust fund and building on the progress of recent years to increase revenues.
This news comes out of an interview the organisation’s CEO, Haris Siampanis, had with Greek media outlet,Kathimerini, where he described the museum’s five year sustainability plan.
“Regardless of the present circumstances, [the museum] has made strides,” Mr Siampanis told Kathimerini.
“Like many other organisations, we lost significant revenues not just from exhibition tickets, but from museum shops, educational programs, events, rent and, obviously, from corporate and private donations [during the economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic].”
The CEO of The Benaki Museum, Haris Siampanis.
Siampanis said that the Benaki was able to break even for the first time in its history in 2016 after serious economic woes in 2012-15, and recently settled the last of its outstanding commitments.
“We have embarked on a journey and the pandemic has merely delayed our departure. There is no doubt that we will accomplish it, together with the people who embrace what we do,” he said, vowing “to do everything in our power to multiply the benefits of even the smallest donation.”
Mr Siampanis is expected to discuss the museum’s economic future and expansion to Australia in the Greek Australian Dialogue Series on October 7 with a special video conference.
