The Australian Greek Welfare Society (AGWS) announced this week that a new post is to be created within the organisation to focus on assisting new Greek migrants to Victoria. The move follows a pledge by the Victorian government of $360,000 over the next four years to help AGWS cope with increasing numbers of Greek nationals wishing to call Australia home.
CEO Voula Messimeri said that “our main concern will be to inform and answer the questions of the newly-arrived Greeks, questions related to Australian and Victorian governmental agencies such as Medicare and Centrelink.
The post will be based in the Greek Centre of Contemporary Culture in central Melbourne.
In recent years Victoria has seen thousands of arrivals from Greece seeking the help of family and friends in the state to find employment.
Between 2012 and 2014, according to AGWS, Melbourne saw close to 6,000 Greeks arriving in Victoria, 60 per cent of which are Australian-born.
The remaining 40 per cent are Greek-born nationals who chose Australia to make a new life away from the continuing crises at home.
“We need to contribute to a smoother integration of these people into our society,” Ms Messimeri said.
Victoria’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Robin Scott confirmed Labor’s pre-election promise to fund AGWS at a press conference at the organisation’s Brunswick headquarters on Monday.
The first $90,000 is included in the 2015-16 State Budget.
“Over the past three years we’ve been under extreme pressure to keep up with the extra demand from the newest arrivals looking for work, food and shelter,” said Ms Messimeri, who added that with 135,000 Australians currently living in Greece, demand is expected to grow.
