December 2014 - Greek Tribune

GREEK TRIBUNE
December 2014
www.greektribune.com.au
Australian News
Tony Pasin: "Trade agreement
with China a massive win"
The Abbott Government has concluded
negotiations for an historic Free Trade agreement
with China – our largest
trading partner - which
will deliver significant
benefits for both Australia
and Barker said Member
for Barker, Tony Pasin.
“The China Free
Trade Agreement is the
biggest thing to happen
to Australian agriculture
since Federation.”
“Since coming
to office, the Abbott
Coalition Government has
concluded three world
leading free trade agreements with South Korea,
Japan and now China,”
said Mr Pasin.
“These agreements
will add billions of dollars
to the Australian economy and create tens of
thousands of jobs in coming years. They will also
boost the high living standards Australians enjoy
today.”
“Australian exporters
will now have unprecedented market access to
the world’s second largest
economy and 1.36 billion
consumers and a burgeoning middle class.”
“Barker (Riverland and
the South East) is a massive winner from the China
FTA with beef, sheep
meat, dairy, wine, horticulture, and seafood all set to
enjoy the substantial benefits of this deal.”
“I welcome the historic
agreement with China",
Tony Pasin said.
Invasion of Cyprus remembered in SA Parliament
A motion to acknowledge the invasion of
Cyprus and subsequent
human rights violations
was moved and passed
in South Australian
Parliament last week.
Member for Taylor,
Leesa Vlahos MP, moved
a P r i v a t e M e m b e r ’s
motion in solidarity with
Greek-Cypriots that live in
South Australia.
Mrs Vlahos believes
that the invasion has left
a lasting effect on the
people that left Cyprus
because of the Turkish
invasion.
“South Australia has
more than 1,300 people that are born in the
Republic of Cyprus, and
we have a duty to stand
up for their human rights
and dignity.” Mrs Vlahos
said.
“Cyprus has been
occupied and divided for
more than 40 years. This
motion is about recognising the heartache and
despair that this division
has caused and to call for
a peaceful resolution.”
Since the first Turkish
invasion of Cyprus on
20 July 1974, more than
43,000 Turkish soldiers
are stationed on the
island. The division it has
attracted condemnation
from the international
community.
The South Australian
Government has previously supported 14 South
Australian Greek-Cypriot
families to file claims of
compensation against
the Turkish government
at the European Court of
Human Rights.
Turkey is currently,
once again violating international law by invading the territorial waters
(the Exclusive Economic
Zone) of Cyprus to search
for natural resources. The
Leesa Vlahos MP
area, which is very rich
in natural gas and oil, is
licensed to the Republic
of Cyprus under international law. A Turkish vessel, Barbaros, has been
collecting seismic data
after entering the exclusive economic zone of
Nicosia one month ago
and is accompanied by
several Turkish war ships.
Turkey is now threatening to set up its own
platform in the sea out of
Limassol in the South in
order to steal the natural
resources which belong
to the Cyprus Republic.
The Australian Federal
and State Governments
are urged to condemn
the new provocative
and dangerous Turkish
actions in the Eastern
Meditterannean - which
are a threat to the already
fragile peace and stability
in the region. The Turkish
Government must comply
with international law and
withdraw its ships from
the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus. They
must also withdraw their
troops from the occupied
territories of the Cyprus
republic and allow the
re-unification of the island
under a new federal,
bi-zonal, bi-communal
Cyprus republic as outlined in the resolutions of
the United Nations.
GREEK COMMUNITY TRIBUNE
ABN: 55 829 388 691
EDITOR: Peter Ppiros
ADDRESS: BOX 3070, RENMARK,
SOUTH AUSTRALIA, 5341
PHONE/FAX: (08) 8586 5002
Mobile: 0408 865004
Website: www.greektribune.com.au
E-mail: info@greektribune.com.au
Renmark: Ph/Fax: (08) 8586 5002 - Mobile: 04 0886 5004
TRIP TO AUSTRALIA SUSPENDED
Golden Dawn not welcome
A spokesman for the
Australian branch of Greek farright party Golden Dawn says
a planned visit to Australia by
members of its Greek mother
party has been suspended due
to visa delays.
Speaking to the SBS,
Ignatius Gavrilidis said the
Australian embassy in Greece
"disrupted" the visit by Golden
Dawn MP ​Georgios Epitideios
and other party members.
He said the "delaying tactics" have thrown out the plans
to visit Australia and the visit
could possibly take place early
next year, but he is not sure.
Immigration Minister Scott
Morrison said the government
reserves the right to refuse
visas for individual applicants.
"The Government takes
very seriously its role in protecting the Australian community from unacceptable risk of
harm from criminal or other
serious conduct by non-citizens," the minister said in a
statement published by the
SBS.
"If a visa applicant is considered likely to engage in
activities that fall within the
scope of the character requirements of the Migration Act
1958, their visa application may
be refused."​
However, Mr Gavrilidis said
no visa application was officially rejected.
The visit by Greek MP
Georgios Epitideios garnered
considerable opposition from
within the Greek community in
Australia.
Victorian state MP Nick
Kotsiras had also voiced his
concerns should the visit go
ahead.
In South Australia, the
Greek Orthodox Community of
SA issued an announcement
warning that "a visit by representatives of the Golden Dawn,
would aim to "poison" the relations of the different ethnic
communities living in Australia
Nazi salute by Golden Dawn
and promote racial hatred and
social instability".
The Greek Community
of SA called upon the local
Greek community to boycott
the Golden Dawn and isolate their members who are
trying through their racist slogans and activities to undermine our multicultural Nation.
The Community also called
upon the Federal Australian
Government to refuse entry
into the country to any of
Golden Dawn's members and
called for an investigation into
the "suspicious" activities of
their local organisation.
Greek community commemorates
students' sacrifice for democracy
The Greek Orthodox
Community of South
Australia paid tribute on
November 16 and 17 to
the students of the Athens
Polytechnic uprising that
contributed to the overturning of the Papadopoulos’s
military junta in 1973. The
main slogans by the students
were, "Bread, Education,
Freedom", "no to fascism"
and "junta out".
The uprising lasted three
days and was crashed by the
use of tanks resulting in the
death of many unarmed students.
As the 17th of November
marked the 41st Anniversary
of the student bloodshed the
two-day celebrations organised by the Community draw
hundreds of Hellenes who
wanted to participate in this
day of national significance.
The Polytechnic uprising celebrations began on
Sunday 16 November with
Greek Radio
Program Elections
The Greek Radio Program
of South Australia, Broadcasting on 5EBI FM, will
hold a vote on Sunday 30
November to elect a new
committee for a new two year
term.
The 11 positions of the
committee are contested by a
total of 17 candidates. Those
candidates are: Antoniou
Suzanna, Varkanis Panagiota,
Vassos Eleni, Gregoriades
Dimitra, Katsimbris George,
Karapetis Tony, Keliouris
Katerina, Kouzounis Georgios,
Koufidakis Antonios, Lappa
Joanna, Lappa Joanna
Nectaria, Mavrides Anastasia,
Pappas Peter, Stylianopoulos
Peter, Spyrou Niki and Katina
Flabouris.
Mr Elias Mavrogiorgis of
the Electoral Committee, said
the election will take place
from 1pm till 4pm at the premises of 5EBI FM, 10 Byron
Place, Adelaide, SA, 5000.
Greek Festival on
George Street
The annual George Street
Greek Festival will be held
on George Street, Thebarton
on Saturday and Sunday 13
a memorial service at the
Cathedral of Michael and
Gabriel in memory of the students and other civilians who
lost their lives during the tragic events.
The memorial service
was followed by the laying of
wreaths and red carnations
outside the Cathedral by the
Community’s teaching staff
and students.
Meanwhile a number
of students recited famous
poems that described the
troubled times of that era,
paying respect to those who
sacrificed their lives in the
name of democracy.
The main event took place
on Monday 17 November at
Olympic Hall, featuring presentations by guest speakers, poem recitations, video
presentation and live music.
The event’s main speaker
was Greek language teacher
Mrs Maria Louvari who took
guests back in time through
a chronological narration of
the events that led to the students uprising and the bloodshed that followed.
During her presentation
Mrs Louvari gave chilling
details of the tragic events
based on testimonies by witnesses who lived through the
turmoil.
The three-part presentation was made in conjunction with poem recitations
by some of the Community’s
members as well as students, bringing back memories and patriotic feelings.
The event featured a
10-minute video showing
footage from the overall political unrest that was apparent
through the streets of Athens
as it lead to the moment the
military tank forced through
the Polytechnic front gate.
The evening continued with live music by John
Kourbelis and Kat Stevens,
featuring music from that era.
Greece risks prolonged social crisis
Faced with an “anaemic” pace of
job creation and nearly 1.3 million
unemployed citizens, Greece risks a
prolonged social crisis unless urgent
measures are taken, warns a new
report out today from the International
Labour Organization (ILO).
According to the report, Productive
Jobs for Greece, more than 70 per
cent of the almost 1.3 million unemployed people in the country have
been out of a job for more than a
year, as a result of one in four jobs
being lost since the beginning of the
country’s economic crisis in 2008.
Meanwhile, the number of Greeks
at risk of poverty more than doubled
in five years, rising from just above 20
per cent in 2008 to upwards of 44 per
cent in 2013, the report found.
The ILO notes that Greece’s
recovery strategy has been largely built on the premise that lower
wages and fiscal consolidation would
on their own restore competitiveness and boost economic growth.
However, the report shows that a
range of other issues – not wages
– are at the origin of the competitiveness problem.
“The strategy so far, while it has
helped restore public finances, has
not achieved the expected results in
terms of a sustainable economic and
employment recovery,” said Raymond
Torres, Director of the ILO’s Research
Department.
In addition to the recent steps
by the Government to address the
most acute social problems, the ILO
report calls for a more comprehensive
employment strategy that includes a
range of measures to support job creation, tackle the crisis’ most pressing
impacts, and put the economy on a
sustainable track.
The strategy covers both emergency measures and more sustained
action. The proposed emergency
measures include an activation guarantee to all young jobseekers and
groups most in need; the nurturing
of “social economy” enterprises as
avenues for job creation; improved
access to credit for small businesses;
and a review of the pace and policy
mix of fiscal consolidation so as not to
undermine recovery efforts.
Visit our website:
www.greektribune.com.au
Community Life
Orthodox Community of SA
was due to announce on
Wednesday night, the names
of candidates who have
nominated for a position on
the 17 member Executive
Committee. According to
a letter to the members, the
elections for a new two year
term, will be held on Sunday 7
December.
Cypriot Community
new Committee
John Lesses, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of SA,
addressing the 250 members who turned up at the recent general
meeting at the Olympic Hall. An election for a new 17 member
executive committee will take place on 7 December
and 14 December, just outside the church of St Nicholas.
This year, the festival will host
many Greek dance groups
and live music by Acropolis
Band on both days. The
famous lady singer Kalliroy
Kanavos from Melbourne will
be performing at the event
accompanied by George
Kirkopoulos on the clarinet.
The festival will once again
bring the best of Greek culture and turn the busy road
strip into an outdoors two-day
Greek party! Entry is free of
charge and all welcome!
Greek Orthodox Community SA election
As the Greek Tribune
went to the press, the electoral committee of the Greek
The Cypriot Community of
SA has held an election on
Sunday 9 November for a new
committee for a new two year
term. The election was held
at the newly acquired Cypriot
Community club rooms in
Welland. Chris Ioannou was
re-elected President. New
Vice President is Dr Andreas
Evdokiou, Secretary Minas
Loucas, Assistant Secretary
Zacharias Partou, Treasurer
Steven Hajistassi, Assistant
Treasurer Christoforos Costa
and Committee members
are, Christina Charalambous,
Haralambos Charalambous,
Zac Diamanti, Phillip
Philippou. The committee is
planning a New Years Dance
at the Cypriot Club on 31
December. Members and
friends are advised to book
their tickets early as the hall is
filling up fast.
"Παροικιακό Βήμα", Δεκέμβριος 2014
Greek Tribune
Cultural, social and political events in South Australia
Email your community's news or a photo: info@greektribune.com.au
Speaker of the South Australian Parliament Michael Atkinson joined by members of the Ladies Auxiliery of the Greek Orthodox Community of SA at the
Olympic Hall for lunch just after the celebration of the Archangels Michael's
and Gabriel's name day on 8 November 2014
From left, David Pisoni MP, Speaker of Parliament Michael
Atkinson, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of
SA John Lesses and SA Governor Hieu Van Le, attended the commemoration for the 28th of October at the
Cathedral of Archangels Michael and Gabriel
LEFT: Professor
Michael Tsianikas of
the Flinders University with students who
performed the ancient Greek tragedy
"Trojan Women" as
part of the Aristotelian Annual Celebration on 22 October.
At the same event,
right, is Flinders
University Executive
Dean Richard Maltby
and George Genimahaliotis President of
the Pan-Macedonian
Association.
“Greek Tribune”, December 2014
2
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Asbestos awareness
Dear Editor,
During Asbestos
Awareness Month my fellow ambassadors Cherie
Barber, Don Burke, Scott
Cam, Barry Du Bois, Scott
McGregor and I speak with
one voice to all Australians
about the dangers of
asbestos to homeowners, renovators, tradies
and handymen hoping
they’ll hear our potentially
life-saving message.
For those who think
asbestos-related diseases are a thing of the past,
think again. There is no
safe level of exposure to
asbestos fibres and if
breathed in, it can have the
potential to cause mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that can take 20 to 50
years to develop. There is
no cure and people have a
very short life expectancy
- just 10 to12 months after
diagnosis.
I lost a good mate
Harold Hopkins to mesothelioma because he
breathed in asbestos fibres
when he was a young
bloke on building sites so
I know first-hand how dangerous asbestos can be.
Asbestos can be found in
at least 1 in 3 Australian
homes and it doesn’t mat-
ter what kind of home you
live in, brick, weatherboard,
clad or fibro, so if it was
built or renovated before
1987, it will most likely contain asbestos. Australian’s
need to think smart, think
safe and get to kNOw
asbestos this NOvember
by visiting asbestosawareness.com.au because it’s
not worth the risk!
The photo, (below)
includes my fellow
Asbestos Awareness
Ambassadors Don Burke
OAM, Scott McGregor
Barry Du Bois and Serafina
Salucci, a young mother
with mesothelioma who
inhaled the deadly asbestos fibres as a kid while her
parents were renovating.
For more information,
media releases and high
res images you can visit
www.asbestosawareness.
com.au in the downloads
section or contact campaign managers Clare
Collins or Alice Collins on
02 9518 4744 or email
asbestosawareness@
insightcommunications.net.
au.
John Jarratt
Ambassador:
Asbestos Awareness
Month Campaign
Strawberry Hills NSW
European Parliament condemns Turkey's actions in Cyprus' waters
The European Parliament on
Thursday passed a joint resolution condemning Turkey for its
actions within Cyprus’ EEZ and
demanding Ankara withdraw its
vessels from the area immediately.
The resolution was submitted
by seven parliamentary groups
from various European political
parties including AKEL members Neoclis Sylikiotis and Takis
Hadjigeorgiou.
The EP draft resolution
makes it clear that Cyprus
has full and sovereign right to
explore the natural resources within its EEZ, and that “the
Turkish maritime surveys must
be seen as both illegal and
provocative”. It demands that
Turkish vessels operating in
waters in and around the EEZ
of Cyprus “be withdrawn immediately”.
The resolution also urges
Turkey to show restraint and act
in accordance with international
law. It deplored the escalation of
threats and unilateral action by
Turkey and calls on Ankara to
respect and comply with its EU
accession obligation to recognise Cyprus as a member state.
Turkey should also sign and
ratify “without further delay”, the
UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS), which is
part of the acquis communautaire.
The continuation and/or repetition of Turkey’s actions could
have a negative impact on
Ankara’s relations with the EU,
including its accession process,
it adds.
Cypriot MEPs welcomed the
resolution, which they said was
hard won but was a strong message to Ankara, which had done
its best to derail the resolution.
THE RESOLUTION
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolution of 12 March 2014 on
the 2013 progress report on
Turkey[1],
– having regard to the
General Affairs Council conclusions of 17 December 2013,
– having regard to the statement of 7 October 2014 by the
spokesperson for the President
of the European Council,
– having regard to the Turkey
Progress Report 2014, of 8
October 2014,
– having regard to the
European Council conclusions of
24 October 2014,
– having regard to Rule
123(2) and (4) of its Rules of
Procedure,
A. whereas on 3 October
2014 Turkey issued a NAVTEX
(Navigational Telex) directive,
by which it ‘designated’ a large
area within the southern part of
the exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus
as being reserved for seismic
surveys to be conducted by the
Turkish vessel Barbaros from 20
October to 30 December 2014;
whereas these seismic surveys
affect blocks that have been allocated by the Government of the
Republic of Cyprus to the Italian
company Eni and to the Korea
Gas Corporation for the exploration of possible hydrocarbon
reserves in the seabed soil;
B. whereas, despite repeated calls by the EU, including
in the Commission’s Turkey
Progress Report 2014, Turkey
continues to contest the existence of the Republic of Cyprus
and the legitimacy of exploration
and exploitation by the Republic
of Cyprus of natural resources
within its EEZ, thereby challenging the activity of a European
company; whereas Turkey’s
claims and actions have no
legal foundation and are in direct
conflict with international law,
including the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS);
C. whereas the UNCLOS
sets out a comprehensive legal
framework establishing a regime
of law and order, and rules governing all uses of the oceans
and their resources; whereas the
EU has ratified the UNCLOS,
which is now an integral part of
its acquis communautaire;
D. whereas the EU has frequently reiterated that Turkey
needs to commit itself unequivocally to good neighbourly relations and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance
with the Charter of the United
Nations;
E. whereas Turkey’s actions
within the EEZ of the Republic of
Cyprus coincide with the recent
appointment of the new Special
Adviser to the UN SecretaryGeneral, Espen Barth Eide,
and are negatively affecting the
negotiations aimed at reaching
a comprehensive solution to the
Cyprus problem;
1. Urges Turkey to show
restraint and act in accordance with international law;
deplores the escalation of
threats and unilateral action by
Turkey against the Republic of
Cyprus in relation to the EEZ;
recalls the legality of the EEZ
of the Republic of Cyprus; calls
on Turkey to respect and fully
implement the declaration issued
by the European Community
and its Member States on 21
September 2005, including the
provision that the recognition of
all Member States is a necessary component of the accession
process;
2.Stresses that the Republic
of Cyprus has the full and sovereign right to explore the natural
resources within its EEZ, and
that the Turkish maritime surveys must be seen as both illegal and provocative; demands
that Turkish vessels operating
in waters in and around the EEZ
of Cyprus be withdrawn immediately;
3. Stresses that Turkey’s
actions constitute a violation of the sovereign rights of
the Republic of Cyprus and of
international law, including the
UNCLOS; reiterates its call on
the Turkish Government to sign
and ratify the UNCLOS, which
is part of the acquis communautaire, without further delay;
4. Urges Turkeyto revoke its
NAVTEX immediately, and to
refrain from any violations of the
sovereign rights of the Republic
of Cyprus;
5. Calls on Turkey to respect
the sovereignty of EU Member
States over their territorial
waters; reaffirms that the sovereign rights of the Member
States include the right to enter
into bilateral agreements and the
right to explore and exploit their
natural resources in accordance
with the UNCLOS;
6. Shares the UN’s view
that any gas finds would benefit
both communities in Cyprus if
a lasting, political solution can
be found to end the conflict;
believes that, if properly managed, the discovery of significant hydrocarbon reserves in the
region could improve economic, political and social relations
between the two communities in
Cyprus;
7. Believes that the benefits
of the discovery of significant
hydrocarbon reserves should
serve the entire region as a
means to prosperity, wealth and
a peaceful and better life for all
living there, on the basis of international law;
8. Supports the rights of the
Republic of Cyprus to lodge formal complaints against violations
within its sovereign territory or
waters to the UN and the International Maritime Organisation;
9. Reiterates the importance
it attaches to the normalisation
of relations between Turkeyand
all EU Member States, and is of
the view that the continuation
and/or repetition of these actions
could have a negative impact on
Turkey’s relations with the EU,
including its accession process;
10. Underlines the importance of stopping provocative actions within the EEZ of
the Republic of Cyprus and of
refraining from making threats
against the Republic of Cyprus;
notes that these actions and
threats undermine the continuation of negotiations for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus
problem; calls for stability in this
very sensitive region, in view of
the challenges that lie ahead;
11. Requests that the European External Action Service and
the Commission closely follow
Turkey’s activities within the EEZ
of the Republic of Cyprus and
report back to Parliament;
12. Expresses its continued
commitment to, and support for,
the reunification talks under UN
auspices for a comprehensive
settlement of the Cyprus problem; supports the efforts of the
UN Secretary-General’s Special
Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth
Eide, to create the necessary
conditions for de-escalation and
the resumption of the talks;
13. Instructs its President
to forward this resolution to the
Council, the Commission, the
Vice‑President of the Commission / High Representative of
the Union for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of
the MemberStates, and the
Government and Parliament of
the Republic of Turkey.
Climate change to hit
farming, Greek coastline
The average temperature in Greece is expected to rise by 1.5 degrees
Celsius in the next 35 years
and by up to 4 degrees in
the period from 2070 to
2100, experts have told
a conference on climate
change in Athens.
The rise in temperatures will harm agriculture
and erode the country’s
coastline as sea levels rise,
academics told a seminar
at the Goulandris Museum
of Natural History late last
week.
Rainfall in Greece is
expected to drop by 2
percent and cloud cover
to shrink by 6 percent,
increasing exposure to the
sun’s harmful rays,according to Christos Zerefos,
supervisor of the Research
Center for Atmospheric
Physics and Climatology at
the Academy of Athens.
Firms developing Cyprus gas
field raise reserve estimate
The reserve estimate
for the Aphrodite natural
gas field offshore Cyprus
has been raised by 12
percent, and most of the
gas is likely to be exported, Israeli firms involved in
the project said.
The new estimate
given for the natural gas
field is 4.54 trillion cubic
feet (tcf). The estimate
for condensate, a liquid
byproduct of natural gas,
was also raised to 9 million barrels from a previous estimate of 8.1 million, two Israeli firms said
in a statement to the Tel
Aviv Stock Exchange on
Tuesday.
Delek Drilling and
Avner Oil Exploration,
both subsidiaries of
Israel's Delek Group,
each own 15 percent of
Aphrodite. Texas-based
Noble Energy controls the
rest.
The partners said they
were considering incorporating development
of Aphrodite into their
plans for the much larger Leviathan field, which
is adjacent but lies within
Israeli waters.
The Israeli companies
said that in light of the
small domestic market in
Cyprus, "the main potential market for the resources is the international market".
The three energy companies together with the
government of Cyprus are
examining the possibilities for exporting the gas,
including via a pipeline
to other countries in the
region such as Egypt.