Archbishop Makarios

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (16:24): I move:

That this council—

1. Congratulates and welcomes His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia on his inaugural visit to South Australia.

2. Congratulates all the parishioners and volunteers of the Greek communities of South Australia and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of South Australia on all their endeavours and preparations to welcome His Eminence to our beautiful state.

3. Thanks His Eminence Archbishop Makarios on his efforts to meet and engage with as many South Australians as he could on his inaugural visit.

4. Thanks the organisers of all the functions and events that hosted His Eminence throughout South Australia, including:

(a) His Excellency the Governor of South Australia, the Hon. Hieu Van Le AC;

(b) the Hon. Chris Kourakis SC, Chief Justice of the South Australian Supreme Court;

(c) Inter-Communities Council of South Australia, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese;

(d) Saint George College;

(e) Saint Basil's Homes SA;

(f) Adelaide Airport Limited;

(g) the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of South Australia parishes and communities, led by His Grace Bishop Nikandros;

(h) the Greek Welfare Centre;

(i) the Premier the Hon. Steven Marshall MP and the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Peter Malinauskas MP;

(j) the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Hon. Vincent Tarzia MP and the President of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Andrew McLachlan MLC;

(k) the parliamentary library and staff;

(l) the Parliamentary Friends of Greece and Cyprus;

(m) Mr Harry Patsouris, Mr Andrew Psaromatis, Ms Connie Kosti, Ms Angela Gondzioulis;

(n) the thousands of faithful who welcomed His Eminence to South Australia across Adelaide.

5. Encourages His Eminence to visit South Australia as often as possible and wishes him success in his mission here in Australia as the leader of the Orthodox Christian faithful of our nation.

Given the length of the motion, I will not be repeating its detail to the chamber and I move it as tabled. I raise this motion to share the news of the visit but also to shine a light on the parishioners and volunteers of the Greek communities of South Australia and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of South Australia for all their endeavours and preparations to welcome His Eminence to our state.

His Eminence Archbishop Makarios met and engaged with as many South Australians as he could on his four-day visit, during which the hospitality of the Greek Australian community extended to South Australian politicians of Greek origin. The visit was an opportunity to share South Australia's Greek diaspora culture and achievements and to also raise local community issues and concerns. As a man who has three masters degrees and a doctoral dissertation in bioethics, His Eminence took great effort in being appraised of the issues facing our communities and spoke with young and old alike in the community.

I was proud to discuss the efforts of all the hardworking and passionate Greek Australians in our community who have time and time again contributed to help build our communities and the state. It was also an opportunity to raise the importance of ensuring that all who play a role in promoting Greek culture and language in South Australia are heard within the community and are encouraged and involved to continue their efforts.

In addition to a number of religious events, His Eminence took the time to participate in a number of secular events as well, including a visit to the Governor's house and joining the Friends of Greece and Cyprus for lunch and a tour of Parliament House, hosted by the Hon. Vincent Tarzia MP, Speaker of the lower house, and the Hon. Andrew McLachlan MLC, President of the upper house.

I thank the staff in parliament for their efforts in organising the lunch and the Parliament Research Library for their efforts in preparing for the tour. His Eminence enjoyed seeing some of the library holdings related to the Holy Land, which included photos dating back to the early 1860s, with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Chapel of the Convent of Saint Saba and a multivolume set of lithographs of the Holy Land.

In closing, I wish His Eminence well in his endeavours and look forward to the opportunity to continue dialogue and discussion pertaining to the growth and development of the Greek diaspora community and culture.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.