Dimitrios Michalopoulos has completed his term as Consul General of Greece in Melbourne.
Mr Michalopoulos served during a difficult period, from dealing with a memorandum and cuts, to working through the pandemic and problems in the operation of the Consulate.
He also faced the reactions to the Prespa Agreement that made his work even more difficult.
On the occasion of his departure from Australia, he willingly agreed to speak to us and answer the ‘difficult’ questions:
After completing your term in Melbourne could you give us an idea of your time in office, were your expectations confirmed?
My tenure at the Consulate General lasted three productive years. I had the opportunity, during this period, to see for myself the importance and power of the Hellenes abroad in Australia. Before I came, I knew about the Greeks of Antipodes mainly from their enthusiastic and mass mobilisations in the early 1990s for the Nomenclature.
From my first experiences in 2018, through to my participation in events, discussions and the daily friction at the Consulate General, I realised that the Greeks of Australia are a very dynamic part of world Hellenism and have the means and the desire to contribute to the good of the homeland, having created a “little Greece” here in Melbourne.
I was particularly moved every time I met a Greek-Australian, the love he expressed for their place of origin, after first asking me ‘If I may, where are you from, Mr Consul?’, a question that I liked to answer and that I have inextricably linked with the Melbourne Greeks.
So in terms of living up to expectations, I can confidently say that the Hellenism of Australia has won my admiration and respect. It has a long history of a successful presence in Australian society and economy, of which the people feel proud of and has a bright future as an integral part of Australia’s success in many areas.
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The crucial question: What will come of the services at the Consulate General, for example; ack of staff, complaints, possible solutions?
Complaints about the operation of the Greek consular authorities in various countries are, unfortunately, not a rare phenomenon and Australia is no exception. The Consulate General of Melbourne has undergone a drastic reduction in its staff. From the double-digit number of employees before the financial crisis of 2010, our staff has been reduced to just five, who are called to serve a community of 150,000, which has requirements for fast and adequate service. As the current staff numbers stand, it is true, is not enough, as shown by the increase in requests to the registry office in 2019.
Both the Embassy and the Consulate General had pointed the issue to the Foreign Ministry in a timely manner. I am pleased to announce that, within December 2020, two additional staff members are expected to be transferred to our offices, who will support the registrar and notary departments. Soon, there will be faster processing of cases.
Another problem in the operation of the Consulate General is the non-digitisation of procedures. For my part, I strongly supported the plan for the connection of the Consulate General with the Special Registry of Athens. When this is implemented, it will mean the real-time information of the Special Registry regarding the registration of registration events (births, marriages and deaths) and the avoidance of bureaucratic procedures for sending documents by diplomatic mail or at the expense of the citizen. I am pleased to inform you that the legal framework for the operation of the Citizens’ Registry, as the new program will be called, has already been approved and we hope, hopefully, to put it into operation soon.
From my side, finally, special importance was given to the friendly service of the public by the employees of the Consulate General. Authority officials follow strict rules in their dealings with the public. The citizen should not take the employees’ faithful observance of the rules and instructions of the Public Administration as ‘rude’ or as ‘refusal of service’. The rules have been set for the protection of the State and the trading public and are not a ‘whim’ of the employee. Finally, let every fellow citizen remember that whenever he calls the Consulate General on the phone, people like themselves have the same or another issue and want to be served as well.
During your tenure here you were called to face unprecedented situations: pandemic and reactions to the Prespa Agreement. How challenging did this make your job?
Each post has its peculiarities. In Melbourne I was prepared to face the pressure of daily work and the well-known complaints about the operation of the Consulate General.
The pandemic upset our work schedule. The Consulate General found it necessary to suspend its operations for about six months. The scheduling of the meetings were actually cancelled. However, ensuring the health of the employees and the trading public was paramount and we succeeded.
The reactions of the Greek community to the Prespa Agreement were a particular challenge. I remember the second rally, on 25 February 2018, in which the organised community, the Church and expatriate MPs participated. For me, this was the most decent protest, inspired by patriotic sentiment and the desire to hear the voice of the Greek community. Melbourne was back in the spotlight.
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Despite my constant recommendations to respond in a logical and civilised context, in order to let the other side be exposed, the Greek community chose other ways of protesting. The sounding of “the President of the Hellenic Republic is unwelcome in Melbourne” sounded at first as a bad joke, but they signaled the initiative within the parish by extremists, guided by their personal interest, their tendency for self-promotion and then seduced the Greek community to paths that led to the diversions that occurred at Saint Efstathios, at the Shrine of Remembrance and at the reception of the Consulate General in March 2019, during the celebrations of the National Polygenesis. The Greek community of Melbourne was exposed to the factions of both Athens and the state leadership here. The insults against the representatives of the Greek state, regardless of their political position, were for me personal insults. I do not forgive them and I do not forget them. I wonder what the Greek community of Melbourne gained from the deviations of 2019?
The management of the unpleasant situation that was created forced me to take initiatives to restore a more harmonious atmosphere with the authorities here and with various associations and organisations. On the same days that I was talking to the Guardians of the Monument of the Fallen, with the Church and the communities to drop the tone, some people were blaming the Consulate General through the press for its alleged ‘role’ in the incidents! This is to be expected, of course, in a large Greek community like that of Melbourne, but a little self-criticism on its part would not hurt, especially in future to avoid unpleasant situations.
You must have known the Greek community well. Do you have any comments on the structure of the parish and any advice on the areas that in your judgment should be considered?
I must say, first of all, that the Greek community of Victoria is well organised. The expatriates remain aligned behind the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, the federations and other ethnic associations. The President of EOKMB is a successful professional, knowledgeable of the balances within the parish and has communication skills. He is widely recognised beyond the borders of the state and is distinguished for his passion for supporting the positions of expatriates, as was seen in the case of the Greek Studies Program at La Trobe University. I had a very close and honest relationship with him and I wish him all the best.
From the first day of my term at the Consulate General, I stated that I would respect the independence of the expatriate organisations and that I would not interfere in their internal affairs. I have never moved outside the above line and I hope this has been appreciated by the expatriate leaders here.
I, on my part, also cultivated relations with almost all federations and associations. Most of them impressed me with the work they produced and the initiatives they took. The financial means that the clubs here have at their disposal are very important and allow them to organise high level events, which attract a lot of people, Greeks and Australians. The events of the Lemnos-Gallipoli Memorial Council, the unveiling of the statue of G. Treloar in Ballarat, the receptions of the Panarcadian Federation and HACCI, the dance groups of the Cretan clubs and the help of the clubs to the survivors of the fires or one of the most vivid and moving memories of my years in Melbourne.
If I could make some recommendations to the organised community, they would be, first and foremost, a show of spirit of unity and solidarity. The difficult situation in which the homeland is located also demands it. EOKMB, federations and associations now have a long history in Australia. It does not mean that they are still plagued by old disputes, personal rivalries and anachronistic issues. It is time to start seriously considering the prospect of establishing expatriate bodies at the federal level. Professional expatriate organisations in Melbourne are staffed, as I was fortunate to find, by successful professionals. They are joined by expatriates of the second and third generation, the new blood that expatriate organisations so desperately need. Ethnic associations could consider opening up to Australian society. Their events could be turned into a call, an invitation to Australian friends to get to know the music and cuisine of the places their compatriots left behind and at the same time to promote Greek tourism.
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I will also insist on the need for the organised Greek community to maintain excellent relations with the Archdiocese of Australia. The Archbishop is young in age, with a charismatic character and shows special love for the Greek community in his new homeland. His unifying message must be heard by all.
The Greek-Australians, finally, are the “natural bridge” between Greece and Australia, therefore, they are expected to function as factors that will facilitate business and investment cooperation, now that Greece is coming out of the economic crisis and the new government aims to create a very friendly environment for entrepreneurship.
Finally, I insist on the need to keep open the communication channels between the Greek community in Australia and the homeland, so that those in charge in Athens can listen to the concerns of their compatriots overseas.
When do you leave? Who will replace you and when and what will be your next role?
Shortly before Christmas I will say ‘until we meet again’ to the Greek community of Melbourne. The new Consul General will be with you in January. He is a friend and an experienced employee. For the next years I will serve in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I will read the news on the Neos Kosmos website.