Kanis pledges support to Greek community

Labor candidate for Melbourne, Jennifer Kanis met with the Greek community this week pledging her support of the community as a whole and of the Greek Lonsdale Street precinct in the city of Melbourne prior to the Melbourne by-election on July 21.
Ms Kanis, alongside leader of the opposition Daniel Andrews, and Labor MP Jenny Mikakos met with the president of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) Bill Papastergiadis to discuss Labor's commitment to the long-standing Greek community in Melbourne.
With a Greek father and an Italian mother, Ms Kanis said her background has enabled her to meet the needs of Melbourne's vibrant community, and especially the Greek.
"You can never forget your heritage," Ms Kanis tells Neos Kosmos, "and I am always not only willing to listen to what the Greek community has to say but I am also involved in it as a part of who I am."
She adds that she is aware of the issues relevant to the Greek community and that it's part of an "ongoing conversation and not something that just happens now".
Ms Kanis had a discussion with Mr Papastergiadis' about Labor's commitment to the GOCMV's cultural centre, as well as an ongoing commitment to the precinct. But she also raised her concerns with other issues that impact the Greek community, such as pensioner concessions and education.
"The Baillieu government has indexed pensioner concessions by just 2 per cent but inflation is running at 2.75 per cent and so we are concerned that the concessions that pensioners are getting on things is less than what inflation is rising by and it puts a lot of extra pressure on pensioners for their cost of living," she said.
She added that the Greek community has a real dedication to hard work and values education, so the cuts made by the current Victorian government to TAFE and the education maintenance allowance - an allowance provided to children of low income families - have put added pressure on Victorian families.
"I have been the personal recipient of a good state education, it's enabled me to become a high school teacher and a lawyer and I think that's something that the Greek community values is education and it values hard work and I think the cuts that this government is making to education is not in line with what I think our values are."
Mr Papastergiadis, who met with the candidate this week on Lonsdale Street, echoed her pledged commitment to the community.
"We spoke in general terms about a commitment to the precinct, obviously the relevance of her Greek background and the support of the Greek community to people running as candidates in broader elections," Mr Papastergiadis tells Neos Kosmos.
"She seems to be a bright and energetic young person so we are more than happy to provide some assistance."
Mr Papastergiadis said that both Ms Kanis and Mr Andrews enquired about the cultural centre and he said they were both very excited and "both expressed the point that it was essential for the relevance and vibrancy of the precinct".
As it stands, Ms Kanis' biggest threat for the seat is Greens MP Cathy Oke, and next Saturday's by-election promises to be a close race.
"It's going to be close," observes Ms Kanid but adds, "I think we can win it, and I am out there campaigning all day every day."