Neos Kosmos pitched a range of questions to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and on the eve of polling day, the PM responded. We sought answers to issues relevant to the Greek Australian community, Greece, Australia, and its global positioning.
Deepening ties with Greece and supporting Greek Australians
On the question of whether a Labor Government would strengthen cultural, scientific, business, and academic links with Greece—given our longstanding people-to-people ties and shared democratic values—Albanese said, “I deeply value our close bilateral relationship with Greece, based on historical ties, the rich contribution of Greek Australians to Australian society and Labor has overseen increasing two-way investment between our two great countries.”
On how Albanese views the contributions of the Greek Australian community—socially, culturally, and economically—in shaping modern Australia, he was effusive, saying that the “contributions of the Greek Australians to our social and cultural fabric are everywhere—from food, festivals to the business community.”
He added, “For generations, Greek Australians have helped build Australia. A central part of the story of modern Australia, and the great, vibrant multicultural society that we have built.”
In a historical sweep, the PM mentioned our first arrivals in the “19th century to the waves of migrants escaping war-ravaged Europe” and added, “Hundreds of thousands of Greek people have made their home in Australia.”
Prime Minister Albanese went on to highlight his government’s announcement on community language schools, saying the government will invest “$25 million to support 600 community schools across Australia that help more than 90,000 students learn 84 languages.”
He added, “Language is such an important aspect of continuing intergenerational connections; it also is a way to strengthen understanding between cultures as well as building a sense of connection to heritage for families and communities.”
He underscored the government’s commitments of more than $15 million to Greek communities across Australia. “I am also proud that a re-elected Albanese Labor Government has a series of commitments to the Greek community in Australia, ensuring that we support vital programs and infrastructure and community spaces, and celebrate initiatives to keep the culture and tradition of Greek Australians alive,” said the PM.
Multiculturalism, community cohesion, and bipartisan hopes
Neos Kosmos referred to the 2024, Towards Fairness: A Multicultural Australia for All—a new framework to support a cohesive multicultural society in the face of increased community disharmony, particularly due to overseas conflicts. The report, led by an expert panel headed by Dr Bulent (Hass) Dellal AO, recommends a return to a more centrist and bipartisan support for multiculturalism. The idea is that a centrist, bipartisan policy could be an antidote to the prevalence of identarian politics in recent years. Neos Kosmos asked if the PM would seek bipartisanship in multiculturalism.
“We have had an unwavering commitment to multiculturalism, embracing and celebrating the diversity of Australia is incredibly important, and of course hope to see this reflected by other parties across the Parliament,” Albanese said.
“The multicultural framework review helped us understand the current landscape of Australia’s multicultural society and has made a series of recommendations including changes to laws, policies and institutional settings that build on the strengths of multiculturalism and enable it to respond to contemporary challenges.”
He went on to say that the “framework demonstrated that there is a vital role that all levels of government—especially the Federal Government—can play in supporting and investing in cultural programs and initiatives that not only preserve cultural heritage, but where different cultures can thrive and contribute meaningfully to the nation more broadly.”
Housing crisis and superannuation debate
On the housing crisis, Neos Kosmos asked why Labor doesn’t consider the Coalition’s proposal to allow superannuation to be used for home deposits, given the Coalition’s position that once a home is sold the amount used from super would be returned to the fund. The PM said he was looking for “real solutions to housing in Australia” and that “supply is the key.”
“Asking young Australians to dip into their superannuation would only exacerbate housing affordability issues and increase demand. Peter Dutton would prefer to get young Australians to withdraw up to $50,000 from money meant for their retirement instead of addressing supply constraints.”
In another jab at the Opposition Leader, the PM said the Coalition are “more interested in holding up housing programs, whether it be to Help to Buy, support for renters through our Build to Rent program or social housing.”
Albanese emphasised what he said was his government’s investment in “28,000 homes” now “either under construction or in planning.” He attacked the former government which he said “didn’t even have a housing minister for half the time they were in office.”
“They [Coalition] invested a total of only $5 billion nationwide to address the issue over a decade. Meanwhile, we’ve got a $43 billion Homes for Australia plan, have lifted rental assistance by 45 per cent and we are training more tradies to work on those homes by giving a $10,000 Apprenticeship Support Program to encourage young people and people retraining to go into construction,” added Albanese.
He also said that the five per cent deposit for first home buyers “will make an enormous difference. Instead of never getting to that 20 per cent figure, always paying off someone else’s mortgage, people will be able to get into their first home and pay off their own mortgage.”
Diplomacy, alliances, and national interest
“We’ll always stand up for our national interest,” said the PM in response to a question on how he balances relations between our biggest trading partner, China, and our most important security ally, the United States.
“I will always act in Australia’s national interest and engage with world leaders respectfully and with an eye to the best outcome for Australians and Australian jobs.”
He said he was “firm about Australia’s position with China” and added that his government had “managed to restore dialogue with China without compromising any of Australia’s values.”
“From time to time, we’ll disagree with foreign countries on issues that are not in our national interest—we won’t apologise for that,” he added. Albanese emphasised the importance of “diplomacy to achieve the desired outcome.”
Given President Donald Trump’s mercurial nature and unprecedented hostile responses to traditional U.S. allies, Neos Kosmos asked whether Australians could still have confidence in our principal ally and the significance of the Five Eyes alliance with the US, Canada, Great Britain, and New Zealand.
Albanese took a nuanced approach, saying that “engagement with the US administration has continued and will continue,” adding that Australia’s “government, agencies and embassy officials [are] continuing to advocate for zero tariffs.”
He said that his government had “repaired Australia’s relationships in our region, including with the Pacific and Southeast Asia.”
“This is something we are very proud of as we believe that dialogue and cooperation are essential to the economic and security interests of Australia and our region,” Albanese said.
Prime Minister Albanese ticked all the boxes—multiculturalism, diplomacy, housing, and a healthy dose of Greek pride. With election tomorrow, and many having voted already, it the PM is hoping that his answers—earn him a big tick of approval from Greeks.
