Brighton;
Brunswick;
Clarinda;
Caulfield;
Dandenong;
Glen Waverley;
Hawthorn;
Kew;
Mornington;
Northcote; and
Ringwood.
The Victorian Greens
Cross-bench political power, The Greens have added their powerful voice in support of recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides, following meetings between members of the ANC-AU and Leader of the Victorian Greens, Dr Samantha Ratnam. The Victorian Greens join The Australian Greens, who have adopted a formal party policy on the matter and released a statement prior to the 2022 Victorian state elections which read:
“Victorian Greens Leader, Samantha Ratnam, says it is critical that the Australian Government take the step of formally recognising the Armenian Genocide. It is important for the families and descendants of the 1.5 million Armenians who were killed by the Ottoman Empire and the families and descendants of the one million Greeks and Assyrians who were also killed.
The genocide was one of the gravest crimes against humanity in modern times and the Victorian Greens pay tribute to the memory of the victims. To ensure such crimes against humanity are not repeated we must learn the lessons of history.
The Victorian Greens stand in solidarity with the Armenian community.”
The Victorian Labor Party
The Victorian Labor Party, led by the Member for Mulgrave and Premier of Victoria, the Hon. Daniel Andrews MP has pledged to commit $400,000 in funding to upgrade three Armenian centres across Victoria at the Armenian Community Centre, Brandon Park (Sahagian) Soccer Club Pavilion and St Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church in Surrey Hills.
On Saturday, 19th November 2022, Minister D’Ambrosio––on behalf of Premier Daniel Andrews––visited the Armenian Community Centre (Hye Getron) and toured the centre's facilities on Saturday, which also houses the Hamazkaine Mesrob Mashdots Matheossian Saturday School, before making the special announcement in the presence of over 100 members of Melbourne’s Armenian-Australian community.
BRUNSWICK
The electoral district of Brunswick covers an area of 14 square kilometres. It includes the suburbs of Brunswick, Brunswick East, Carlton North, Fitzroy North, Princes Hill and parts of Brunswick West. The ANC-AU met with the incumbent MP for Brunswick, Tim Read MP. Mr Read and the Victorian Greens are supportive of recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
CLARINDA
The electoral district of Clarinda covers the suburbs of Clarinda, Clayton, Springvale, Heatherton and Cheltenham. The ANC-AU met with incumbent Meng Heang Tak, who was first elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in November 2018 as a member of the Victorian Labor Party. Since his election, Tak has become a regular attendee at the Victorian Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Tak has committed to joining a Victorian Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group in the next Parliament to build upon the relations established with the Armenian-Australian community. The ANC-AU also met with the Liberal Candidate for Clarinda, Anthony Richardson, who also committed to joining a Victorian Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group in the next term of Parliament.
CAUFIELD
The electoral district of Caulfield covers an area of 17 square kilometres including the suburbs of Caulfield, Caulfield North, Caulfield South, Caulfield East, Elsternwick, Gardenvale, Ripponlea and Balaclava.
The ANC-AU was pleased to meet with the Independent candidate for Caulfield Nomi Kaltmann. Ms Kaltmann, who is of Jewish descent. supports Victorian and Federal recognition of the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
DANDENONG
The electoral district of Dandenong is 55 square kilometres covering the suburbs of Dandenong, Doveton, and Eumemmerring, as well as parts of Endeavour Hills, Noble Park and Ringwood. The ANC-AU met with the Liberal candidate for Dandenong, Karen Broadley, who has committed to supporting Federal recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides and supports the rights to self-determination of the Republic of Armenia. Ms Broadley has also committed to joining a Victorian Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
GLEN WAVERLEY
Glen Waverley is a new electorate being contested in the 2022 Victorian State Elections, covering 36 square kilometres including the suburbs of Glen Waverley, Vermont South, Burwood East and Wheelers Hill. The ANC-AU has met with the Labor Candidate for Glen Waverley, John Mullahy who has committed to joining a Victorian Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
HAWTHORN
The electorate of Hawthorn is a key seat in the upcoming Victorian State Elections. The seat is currently held by Labor MP, John Kennedy on a margin of 0.6%. Hawthorn covers 21 square kilometres and includes the suburbs of Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Camberwell and parts of Canterbury, Glen Iris and Surrey Hills.
The ANC-AU met with Labor incumbent John Kennedy MP and Independent Melissa Lowe. Ms Lowe has committed to joining a Victorian Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group in the next term of Parliament.
MORNINGTON
The electoral district of Mornington is located along Mornington Peninsula covering 154 square kilometres including Mount Eliza, Mornington, Mount Martha and Moorooduc. The retiring Liberal MP David Morris has represented the seat since 2006, which is being contested by the former Federal Member for Dunkley, Chris Crewther.
The ANC-AU has met with Crewther, a close friend of the Armenian-Australian community. Crewther has supported Federal recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides and is a current member of the Australian Friends of Artsakh network. Crewther has also committed to joining a Victorian Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group if elected in the next term of Parliament.
NORTHCOTE
The electorate of Northcote is a marginal Labor-held seat that is being contested by Labor incumbent Kat Theophanous. The electorate covers 21 square kilometres and includes the suburbs of Northcote, Fairfield, Alphington, Thornbury and parts of Preston.
The ANC-AU met with Theophanous, who is an Australian of Greek-Cyrpiot heritage. Theophanous has spoken at several commemorations in Australia and Greece in support of the importance of recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides. Theophanous is supportive of Federal recognition of the 1915 Genocides.
The ANC-AU also met with the Greens candidate for the seat of Northcote, Campbell Gome, who conveyed his support for Federal recognition of the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides. The Victorian Greens also released a statement prior to the election acknowledging the importance of Recognition of the Genocides.
OTHER SEATS
The ANC-AU has also met with a string of candidates who are sympathetic to the issues of concern to the Armenian-Australian community and looks forward to working with elected candidates in the next Parliament to advance public affairs priorities including recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides and support for the Republics of Artsakh and Armenia.
The ANC-AU also met with:
James Newbury, Liberal incumbent for Brighton
Lucy Skelton, Labor candidate for Kew
Jess Wilson, Liberal candidate for Kew
Lior Harel, Labor candidate for Caulfield
Cynthia Watson, Liberal candidate for Ringwood
Michael Galea, Labor for South Eastern Metropolitan Region
Tim Quilty, Liberal Democrat incumbent for Northern Victoria
David Limbrick, Liberal Democrat incumbent for South Eastern Metropolitan Region
Polls open for the Victorian State Elections on the morning of Saturday 26th November 2022. Click here to find your local candidates and booths.
