Senator Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, met with the Ukrainian community in South Australia on Wednesday, 26 July 2023 and reaffirmed the Australian Government’s commitment to Ukraine “winning the war, settling on its own terms” and holding “Russia to account”.
Greeted with a standing ovation as she entered the room, Senator Wong emphatically stressed that small and medium countries like Australia had to “stand up for the principle that a large country cannot abrogate the territorial integrity of another”.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) Co-Chair, Ms Kateryna Argyrou, thanked Senator Wong and the Australian Government for its military aid for Ukraine, and relayed a message of gratitude she had received that morning from a young Ukrainian commander from the 22nd Brigade who is defending the area near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
“Thank the Minister for Australia’s support. Without that support, we would not be standing where we are today,” he said.
In a question posed by Ms Argyrou, Senator Wong opened up about her own personal experiences as a young, female, non-Anglo woman and her realisation that her achievements were important to empower female leaders.
“Whether it’s Ukrainian women and girls, or women and girls in the Pacific or Southe-east Asia, we want gender equality to be intrinsic to development. That’s not just a matter of human rights. It’s a very pragmatic decision…you get better economic outcomes.”
Senator Wong also responded to questions raised by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia, Mr Vasyl Myroshnychenko, about Australian study and scholarship programs for Ukrainian students and Australian assistance with humanitarian demining.
Ms Argyrou thanked the organisers of the event, Mr Frank Fursenko, President of the Association of Ukrainians in South Australia, and Ms Bernadette Belej, Team Leader, Help Ukrainians Australia.
“The South Australian community has been a heavyweight lifter in its support of Ukraine. The AFUO would like to acknowledge the great work Frank and Bernadette have done to bring the community together, raise funds to support Ukraine and welcome displaced Ukrainians into their community.”
The event was attended by 170 South Australian community members, including the CEO of the Multicultural Community Council of SA, the presidents of the Belarusian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Dom Polski Associations, former presidents of the Jewish Council of SA and Overseas Chinese association, representatives from the Polish Federation of SA and the leader of the “Svoboda” Russian-speakers group.
See media coverage here of the visit
