Sunday Mail Article - Italian Consul - 12 July 09

As early as 452 AD the Papacy had a permanent representative based in the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), capital of the Byzantine Empire and centre of the Eastern Christian Church.

Similarly many sources cite the birth of modern diplomacy as having evolved out of Northern Italian states during the Renaissance and through the well documented efforts of Venetian ambassadors furthering Venice’s cultural influence and trade network.  

There can be little doubt that Italy has one of the longest and richest traditions of diplomacy of any country in the history of the world. Italian-Australian relations in the post-war period in particular have taken on heightened importance as we have gladly welcomed so many migrants from Italian shores to our country.

The story of Italian immigration in Australia is too long for this page, but has undeniably made Australia a richer country because of the cultural contribution of the Italian community.

Many Italians arrived after World War II, bringing little with them from their war ravaged land. From humble beginnings they have achieved great things.

Just a couple of examples from my own electorate include such iconic Adelaide institutions like the San Remo pasta factory, founded by and owned by the Crotti family, and the John Di Fede Centre, named after John Di Fede. Both stand as examples of what can be achieved through hard work and tenacity.

In an almost unique arrangement there are Italian Australian members of both Houses of the Italian Parliament, representing the tens of thousands of Italian citizens living in Australia. And there are countless other connections between state, regional and local Governments in both countries – just last year my local Campbelltown Council formed a new sister-city relationship with the small town of Paduli, in Campania. The relationship is clearly a significant one.

Of course diplomacy costs money, particularly when a country permanently maintains a consulate in addition to an embassy. In addition to its Canberra embassy, the Italian Government maintains consulates in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. But there are many tangible and intangible benefits to having such a direct connection.

Consulates represent a point of reference for the residents from the country it represents. Their role is not only that of issuing passports, providing registrar services or that of electoral and notary services. They are also promoters of many cultural and commercial initiatives. 

They are guarantors for the Italian government, signing important Memorandums of Understanding at a state level, particularly those relating to the teaching of Italian language and culture and the promotion of the “Made in Italy” brand. There are also many agreements between state governments and Italian regions, all of which have come together through the mediation of Consuls. 

The consulate also assists many elderly Italian citizens with pension and social services they are entitled to from the Italian Government.

The current Italian Consul in Adelaide, Tommaso Coniglio, is a familiar face to anyone who gets involved in community activity in the Eastern and North Eastern suburbs, particularly in the multicultural sector. But it sadly seems set to be the case that as he finishes his stint in Adelaide at the end of this year, he will be the last full time Italian Consul in South Australia.

With economic troubles besetting Italy, the Government has announced that they plan to close down the Adelaide Italian Consulate, and instead require that anyone needing consular assistance make use of the Consul in Melbourne.
It strikes me that bureaucrats in Rome are just as capable of making poor decisions as those in Canberra, and I suppose that when you’re looking at the distance between Adelaide and Melbourne on a paper map in an office in the Foreign Ministry, it probably doesn’t look so far away. Anyone who has caught the bus from Adelaide to Melbourne knows better.

Thousands of people will be directly affected by this change. Many of them live in my electorate. The loss of the Consulate would be an enormous loss for not only the 22,500 Italian born-Australians living in Adelaide, but also nearly a hundred thousand South Australians of Italian descent, and so many more of us who appreciate the significance of our special relationship.

While as the Member for Sturt in the Australian Parliament, I have no jurisdiction over what the Italian Government chooses to do with its Budget, I am proud to lend my voice in support of the growing local opposition led by Com. It. Es. President Vincenzo Papandrea.

I have circulated a petition in my local community urging the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini to reconsider the closure, as have other local groups. Thousands of local residents have already signed but if you would like to support the campaign too please feel free to contact my office. 

I am also supporting a protest at the Italian consulate next Saturday 18 July, at 10am. We hope that by showing the Italian Government the level of community support for the consulate, and the level of community disappointment at its closure, we can stimulate a reversal of this decision.

The closure of the Italian consulate seems to fly in the face of commonsense.

It is important that we show to the Italian Government the significant role the Italian Consulate plays in Adelaide.