The Australian Hellenic Council (AHC) and Australian Macedonian Advisory Council (AMAC) have expressed concern and disappointment at a federal MP’s actions in repeating unsubstantiated allegations against Greek diplomatic officials in Australia.
On the eve of MP Luke Simpkins’ visit to FYROM last month, pro-Skopje media picked up on questions asked by the Liberal MP in writing to Foreign Minister Bob Carr.
The articles in question reported the MP tabling written questions to Australia’s Foreign Minister last September.
In those questions, Mr Simpkins asked if the Minister was “aware of allegations that some Australian citizens have been passing information to the Greek Government via Greek consulates and the embassy, about the lawful protest and activist activities of Australian citizens of Macedonian descent, to assist in creating a black-list which is then used to decline their entry to Greece on the basis of them being a threat to public policy or internal security”.
Without elaborating on the claim, the member for Cowan in WA asked Australia’s Foreign Minister what measures he was taking “to resolve this problem.”
The re-surfacing of the issue, in relation to Luke Simpkin’s most recent trip to Skopje, has alarmed a number of Greek Australian organisations.
The Australian Hellenic Council’s co-ordinator in Victoria, Peter Jasonides described Mr Simpkins as provocative and opportunistic.
“Unless he has documents of proof, which he should bring out in the open, he should be very careful as to what sort of claims he’s making,” said Mr Jasonides, who added that the representation of the claims were made “perhaps to appease a small number of prospective financial rollers in his electorate.”
The AHC co-ordinator told Neos Kosmos he was deeply concerned over the MP’s unsubstantiated allegations of a black-list of Australian FYROM activists being drawn up by Greek diplomats in Australia.
“Rather than investigating, and acting as a politician he seems to be acting for and on behalf of foreign governments,” said Mr Jasonides.
“Perhaps he should tell us if he is acting on behalf of the Skopje government as a lobbyist.”
AMAC echoed Mr Jasonides’ comments, telling Neos Kosmos that the Liberal MP was “pandering to FYROM nationalism… and making serious accusations against Greece and Greek diplomats in Australia without any evidence to support his claims”.
“Mr Simpkins is simply regurgitating the fabricated claims of FYROM nationalists,” said an AMAC spokesman, who called the statements made by the MP in Federal Parliament as “irresponsible”.
Mr Simpkins visit to Skopje last month – his second in as many years – was described by the ‘Australian Macedonian E-Magazine’ as being taken to “further [his] understanding of the concerns of ‘Macedonian Australians’ and to learn about how minorities are treated in the region”.
The MP spent three days in Skopje where he gave a speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with President Gjorgje Ivanov. The MP’s electorate in Perth contains a significant number of voters who trace their ancestry to FYROM.
When Neos Kosmos contacted Mr Simpkins this week to offer him an opportunity to expand on his concerns and substantiate the allegations he passed on to Australia’s Foreign Minister, he gave the following statement:
“I receive correspondence and claims from a number of people and it is my duty to look into these matters. The claims referred to in my questions to the Minister are confidential,” said Mr Simpkins.
“The Minister is yet to respond to either of my questions, so I am not in a position to make any comments until this occurs.”
