As debt negotiations go down to the wire in Brussels this weekend, the call for Australian parliamentarians to stand up and be counted grows louder.

The Greek Community of Melbourne this week commended the Australian Greens’ plucky attempt to push a motion through the Senate in support of Greece’s efforts to resolve the crisis, and called on more parliamentarians to follow their lead.

The Greens’ call for Mr Hockey to make representations to the IMF on Greece’s behalf was defeated in a vote in the Senate chamber.

GOCMV president Bill Papastergiadis told Neos Kosmos that despite the motion’s failure, he had written to Treasurer Joe Hockey as an IMF governor, to encourage the minister to advise the fund to alter its position on Greece.

The Melbourne organisation’s call came as 11th hour discussions took place to break the deadlock between Greece and its creditors.

After a week of intense negotiations, a deal between the Tsipras government and Greece’s lenders is far from being concluded. Without an agreement that will release new loans, Greece will default on a debt repayment of 1.6 billion euros ($2.32 billion) due to be paid to the IMF on Tuesday.

Mr Papastergiadis said that he “urged any and every Australian politician to both explore the facts, beyond the news grabs that are released from the European institutions, and show real support for the Greek people in this moment of crisis.

“We call on members of the Australian Parliament to show support for the Greek people by expressing concern at the continued support by IMF officials for the austerity program.”

The GCM president said that despite the failed Senate motion, he called upon the Government and opposition to reconsider its policy on the matter “and seek to support the suffering Greek people”.

One of the backers of the motion, along with Greens’ deputy leader Scott Ludlum, was fellow Party member NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon.

Ms Rhiannon told Neos Kosmos she had been proud to back the motion “as a long time campaigner against austerity, and as someone who has worked closely with the Greek community in NSW…

“It is absolutely appropriate for there to be a discussion regarding whether or not the Australian government supports the harsh measures being levied against the people of Greece”.

The Greens senator added that many members of the Greek community in NSW who she represented had “expressed their despair at the current situation”.