A two day conference on issues of migration is going to take place on March 5 and 6 at the Immigration Museum.
Under the title The Australian and Greek Migration Systems: A Comparison, academics and politicians from Australia along with migration experts from Greece will exchange views on various topics.
Victorian MP John Pandazopoulos will welcome the participants during a pre conference event on March 4.
“For us Greek Australians this will be a great opportunity to get a better perspective on migration and settlement issues faced by Greek authorities,” Mr Pandazopoulos said. “The Greek experts could benefit from the Australian experience and explore the potential implementation of certain policies within the Greek framework,” he added.
Other speakers and participants include; Kon Vatskalis (senior Northern Territory Minister), Federal MPs Petro Georgiou and Steve Georganas, George Lekakis (Chairman of the Victorian Multicultural Commission), Paris Aristotle (Director of the Victoria Foundation for Survivors of Torture), Kon Karapangiotidis (CEO of the Asylum Resource Centre), and John Gibson (President of the Refugee Council of Australia). Conference discussions and themes will include; Developing Immigration Policies, Challenges to Multiculturalism: Implications for Policies, Managing the host country’s borders: Political Challenges, Culture Shock: Integration and negotiating new and old, Integration or Exclusion: Economics of migration, Multiculturalism and Migration beyond 2009, Growing Global Migration: The role of developed countries, and Living with a Difference: Survival in two Cultures.
The Greek delegation includes the President of the Hellenic Migration Policy Institute of Greece, Alexandros Zavos.
For information on the Australian and Greek Migration Systems, contact Stavros Petrou on 0416 252 722.