Open letter challenges Greek bureaucracy over support for Honorary Consulate in Australia

Prominent members of Queensland’s Greek Australian community, including business leaders John Lazarou (Co-Owner & Director, The Coffee Club) and Pedro Pikos (Founder, Pikos Group), have penned an open letter to The Greek Herald calling on the Greek government to provide greater support to the state’s Honorary Consulate.

In the letter, the authors express frustration over the Consulate’s exclusion from the Greek Citizens’ Registry, a platform that enables consular authorities to process vital civil registrations such as births, marriages, and deaths. They argue that the current system unfairly limits the Brisbane Consulate’s ability to serve a large and geographically dispersed Greek population.

In response to the concerns raised, The Greek Herald sought comment from the Greek government, including Deputy Foreign Minister for Greeks Abroad, Ioannis Michail Loverdos. The Minister acknowledged the letter and provided a detailed response, which will be published in further reporting on this issue.

Full letter in English:

To the Editor of The Greek Herald,

As proud Greek Australians living in Queensland, we read with interest your recent article “The Greek Passport (for Aussies) Debacle: Part Two” and while we commend the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Ioannis Michail Loverdos, for acknowledging the long-standing inefficiencies in consular services, we were deeply frustrated—if not infuriated—by one particular revelation.

In his remarks, Mr Loverdos proudly references the successful rollout of the Μητρώο Πολιτών (Citizens’ Registry), a system now enabling the registration of births, marriages, and deaths “on the spot” by consular authorities—except honorary consuls. Let us ask the obvious: Why are Honorary Consulates, such as the Consulate General of Greece in Queensland, completely excluded from this vital platform?

Queensland is home to a significant and vibrant Greek community in Australia—numbering between 30,000 and 40,000 people who proudly identify as Greek-Australian, scattered across vast distances. Yet, the Honorary Consul General in Brisbane, a man who works tirelessly and without any financial support from the Greek government, is essentially being denied the most basic tools needed to serve this growing diaspora.

The current backlog of registrations we have informed is enormous. The most frequent inquiries received by the Consulate General in Brisbane relate to precisely these civil matters—registrations of births, deaths, and marriages. And yet the Consulate is powerless to assist, forced to redirect citizens elsewhere or explain that their hands are tied due to outdated bureaucracy and an unfair system of exclusion.

How can this possibly be justified? The Honorary Consul General of Queensland has taken the same oath as his career diplomat counterparts. He funds his own office out of deep patriotism and love for the homeland. He employs staff, runs official national day events—such as the recent 25th of March celebration at Queensland Parliament House—and acts as Greece’s official representative in this state, promoting Hellenic ideals, culture, and values. And still, he is treated as a second-class representative in the eyes of the Ministry.

It’s time the Greek State recognised the extraordinary contributions made by some of its Honorary Consuls—especially those serving large, geographically dispersed communities like ours. No one is asking for this access to be granted blindly to all honorary offices around the globe, but surely there should be provisions for exceptions. Queensland’s Consulate General is a prime candidate.

The diaspora is not asking for favours. We are asking for fairness, for practical support, and for the tools that allow our community leaders—especially those who work voluntarily—to do their jobs effectively. If Athens is serious about strengthening ties with the diaspora, then it must stop tying the hands of those most committed to serving it.

This is a plea for reform. A plea for reason. A plea for respect. 

We trust that The Greek Herald will acknowledge the importance of this issue and respectfully ask that it publish this letter to help to bring it to the attention of the wider community and the relevant authorities. 

Sincerely,

John Lazarou (Co-Owner & Director, The Coffee Club)

Pedro Pikos (Founder, Pikos Group)

Concerned Greek Australian Citizens

Brisbane, Queensland

Source: greekherald.com.au