While the fate of Greece remains unknown, Greeks of the diaspora have their own concerns.
As revealed to Neos Kosmos, the Abbott government has allegedly sent a formal proposal to Greece for a review of the pension agreement between the two countries.

Coordinator of the SAE Oceania committee Giorgos Angelopoulos said “we have close links with Greece, we have our informers in the country and confirm the existence of this document”.
This, along with a number of issues affecting expatriate Greeks, will be discussed today at the organisation’s annual General Meeting set to take place at Sydney’s Cypriot Community Club.

As the agreement stands, those entitled to a pension in Australia are permitted to continue receiving their benefits whilst abroad, and vice versa – a situation the Australian government is no longer happy with according to Mr Angelopoulos.

The coordinator expressed his concern, stating that “the changes proposed by the Abbott government are alarming and will affect many pensioners”.
Despite this however, Greek expatriates who own property in Greece can expect to see some positive changes based on a decision by SYRIZA to lower taxes paid by Greeks abroad.

Along with pensions, the meeting will also address the impending work visa agreement between the two countries.
Set to be brought before the Greek parliament, if the visa is ratified Greek nationals will be granted the opportunity to legally work in Australia for 12 months.

The committee will seek to rally support from various organisations, to help encourage the Greek government to place the issue high on the agenda.
A travel warning issued by the Australian government to those travelling to Greece in the summer months has also come up as concern for SAE committee members.

The government-run Smart Traveller website warns:
“Australians visiting Greece should be aware of the possibility that retail banking services throughout Greece may at times become very limited at short notice. Make sure you have more than one means of payment with you (cash, debit cards, credit cards), and make sure you have enough money to cover emergencies and any unexpected delays.”

Not every sector of the Greek community will represented at the meeting, however; president of Melbourne’s Greek Community Bill Papastergiadis declined to attend.
In a letter to the Director General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad Michael Kokkinos, Mr Papastergiadis wrote, “the Community believes that we need to review the whole concept of this organisation. For eight years it has not offered anything significant to the diaspora, nor does it have any direct relationship with diasporic affairs of Australia”.

Mr Angelopoulos was surprised by the statement, though acknowledges the organisation is not functioning to the same extent as in its heyday.
“The only organisations that are still running are ours and the former Soviet Republic. The US, Canada, Europe and Africa have either closed or are barely functioning,” he said. “We remain open because our body is registered and recognised by the Commonwealth, we adhere to our constitution and we have open channels of communication with Greece.”

Currently there are plans to form a new SAE committee, which will be self-funded with the initial support of the Greek state to assist the start up of the initiative.
Plans for this year’s Oceania Panhellenic Games have been postponed until further notice.