«Important economic activities are realized in Australia by the Greeks who live there. Among the 20.000 Greek businesspeople who live in the state of Victoria most of them are involved in the following sections: building construction, industrial, food and beverages, fashion design, jewelers design etc», underlined in an interview to «In-On» magazine Mr John Pantazopoulos the new chairman of the administrative council of the International Greek Inter parliamentary Union (Πα.Δ.Ε.Ε) This is an international organization that consists of members of legislative bodies of Greek origins from about 25 countries apart from Greece and Cyprus. Its members belong to 70 different legislative bodies all over the globe and Mr John Pantazopoulos was elected after the completion of the work of the 7th General Meeting and he is also a member of the Lower House in the state of Victoria in Australia.
My role as a member of the Lower House in the state of Victoria –he continued– is to help the citizens.
Regarding the Greek enterprises that have economic activities in the state he said that «they have all the advantages as well as in the sector of subsidies and in cases of exports while there is financial support for those companies that wish to change their building structure in order to become more environmentally-friendly.
We provide lawyers –he clarified– to the new business people so as to materialize their business projects and even if we are in an the economic crisis, the government has ensured that all banks can give loans to the companies while the rate of interest remains stable (for house purchase the rate of interest is 3% and for the business loan 5,5%).
The economy of Australia –he continued– is stable because we have commercial transactions with the Asian markets while for the days of the economical crisis we had realized profitable investments. We had saved the profits so as to be used at hard times. Now that this money was needed, we used it to reinforce the production of the country.
I have helped the Greek community of Australia –he pointed out– for over 20 years of my public life, and as a Minister responsible for Multicultural Affairs I was responsible: for the support of the 560 societies of the Greek community in Victoria, the funding of Greek language learning, the expansion of translation and interpretation as well as the financial support of many Greek cultural events.
As a chairman of Πα.Δ.Ε.Ε, I will fight for Greece, Cyprus and the Greek ideals doing my best for our civilization, our Greece, our Cyprus and of course for every Greek that lives in other countries.
The future plans of Πα.Δ.Ε.Ε –he said– are:
– Direct action for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum.
– Justice for Cyprus (Ammohostos should re function as an international city and the owners of the buildings and the legal citizens should be allowed to return to the city they had abandoned in 1974).
– Acknowledgment of the Genocide of the Pontiacs (he asked Turkey to acknowledge that the genocide of the Greek-Pontiacs was a real fact committed by the Ottoman Empire).
– Support to the acknowledgment of the rights of the Greek minority in Albania (the members of the 7th General Meeting asked the Greek Democracy to fully support the efforts made in order to ensure the respect of the rights and the freedom of the Greek minority in Albania by the Albanian government).
Furthermore, according to the decision of the members of the 7th General Meeting (where he was elected chairman) they plan to make an appeal so as to solve the issue of the name of the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), within two years’ time, stressing that any solution given should respect the peaceful relationships of all the neighboring countries.
During the General Meeting they acknowledged that the government of FYROM should work within the framework of the United Nations in order to achieve a viable and long -term solution based on a compound name with a geographical orientation for every international use.
An important step towards this direction –they refer– is for the government of FYROM to refrain from any hostility and propaganda.
CURRICULUM VITAE
John Pantazopoulos was born in Melbourne in 1963. His parents immigrated to Australia in 1957 from the provinces of Messinia and Eleia. He is the youngest of four children (two sisters born in Greece and one elder brother).
In 1982 he started his academic studies and got involved in students’ politics in the Labor Party of Australia. He was the secretary of Monash, the Students Union in 1982 and in 1983.
In 1987 he was elected town councilor of the city of Berwick.
He was the Mayor from 1990 to 1991 while before 1999 Mr. Pantazopoulos had served as a shadow Minister of various portfolios, including the multicultural affairs of tourism, games of chances, customers’ affairs, sports etc.
Between 1999 and 2006 Mr. Pantazopoulos served as a Minister in the Labor cabinet of Bracks, seven years in the section of Multicultural Affairs, Tourism etc.
He was also responsible for the program of upgrading the Greek community of Melbourne and he was also the main person in charge for the fraternization of Thessaloniki and Melbourne.
He was the executive member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for over a decade and today he is the chairman of the committee of Environment and Natural Recourses.
He is one of the four directors of the Australian Institute of Professionals in Tourism and Hospitality, he represents the Greek politicians abroad as the President of the International Greek Inter parliamentary Union (Athens), and represents 1200 politicians of Australia in the executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in London. He has also served in a council in Australia as a district representative from 2007 to 2009.
Source of publication 8th issue In-On