Stefan Romaniw OAM and Kateryna Argyrou, Co-Chairs of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO), held meetings in Canberra on 15 June 2023 with senior Government and Opposition MPs to report about AFUO initiatives and deepen relationships with key decision makers and influencers.
The Co-Chairs reported about the many levels of activity occurring at all levels of the community, including assisting displaced Ukrainians and providing humanitarian and non-lethal defence aid to Ukraine. They also thanked the Australian Government and Opposition for their support for Ukraine and the local Australian-Ukrainian community, which continued to be deeply impacted and traumatised by Russia’s genocidal and barbarous war against Ukraine.
Meetings were held with Bill Shorten MP (Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services); Peter Khalil MP (Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security); Senator Catryna Bilyk (Chair, Australia-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group); Senator Deborah O’Neill; Kathy Kluger (the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser); Senator Simon Birmingham (Shadow Foreign Minister) and staffers; and Peter Dutton MP (Leader of the Opposition) and staffers.
Topics discussed included:
- military aid for Ukraine (as requested by the Ukrainian Government and the Embassy of Ukraine to Australia) in a consistent, staged and timely manner
- feedback from Ukrainian defenders about the deep appreciation and admiration for the Australian Bushmasters and their performance on the frontline
- AFUO-led military assistance initiatives including providing non-lethal military aid (such as protective equipment, walkie-talkies and generators) to Ukrainian defenders
- visa issues and assistance with education and employment for displaced Ukrainians in Australia
- support for a formal resolution of the Australian Parliament to recognise the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people by the Soviet regime.
The day concluded with Co-Chair Kateryna Argyrou participating in a panel discussion about Ukraine and Australia at the John Howard Prime Ministerial Library with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Mr Vasyl Myroshnychenko, and Tony Abbott, the former Prime Minister of Australia.
