Greek Australians in NSW have a new political voice with the establishment of the Hellenic Caucus.
Membership of the Hellenic Caucus is open to Labor members and supporters who are interested in promoting issues concerning the Greek Australian community to all levels of government.
Hellenic Caucus President George Houssos believes there is no better time for Greek Australian voices to be heard.
“The Hellenic Caucus will make sure that the needs of Greek Australians are front and centre when it comes to political decision making while also providing networking and mentoring opportunities for our young activists.”
“We want to create an organisation which will play an active role in shaping policy within the community and the Australian Labor Party even if that means standing up to the Labor Party when we think they have got it wrong,” Mr Houssos said.
Australia and Greece share very deep historical, cultural and economic ties. Close to 400,000 Australians claimed Greek ancestry in the 2011 Census, and each year around 50,000 Australians travel to Greece for business or pleasure.
“The challenges facing Greece are acutely felt by all Greek Australians. As good friends of Greece, we need to do our bit to see that Greece overcomes these challenges.
“The Hellenic Caucus will look to play a role in the debate about the causes and consequences of the crisis facing Greece and we will work with the broader community to ensure our proud reputation is not diminished.
“The need of establishing a one-stop-shop cultural centre for Greek Australians will be one of the first campaigns that the Hellenic Caucus will be focussing on over the coming months,” Mr Houssos said.
Canterbury Councillor and Hellenic Caucus Vice-President , Esta Paschalidis-Chilas says that the Caucus provides a good opportunity to develop stronger ties between elected representatives of Greek heritage in Australia.
“Dozens of Greek Australians proudly serve the community in public office. The Hellenic Caucus is a great opportunity for them to work together to provide progressive and effective outcomes for their communities and for Greek Australians,” Ms Paschalidis-Chilas said.
For more information please contact; George Houssos 0418 655 682