The Voice of the Maltese No.284

Robert Abela focuses on peace, equality and prosperity at UN

Robert Abela, the Prime Minister of Malta was one of the world leaders who addressed the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York In doing so, he focussed mainly on three main themes that are equally important, are interlinked, and go hand in hand, and that people most want from their leaders, peace, equality and pros perity

He said that every person wants to live in peace, be free and equal, and have a decent quality of life, however, for far too long, world leaders have allowed disparities to grow in this world, between the rich and the poor, between those who have access to fundamental rights and needs such as healthcare, water, food, and technology and those who are deprived of even the most basic of needs; be tween those with different sexual orientations

Dr Abela said that if as world leaders that truly want to make a positive difference in people’s lives, peace, equality, and prosperity are what they should aspire to deliver to them, to the world and to future generation

He said that peace build, restores and strengthens, and that without peace, security and stability, one would never be able to focus on

the more important challenges we face: to bring about growth, equality, and prosper ity, which is what Malta, and its people stand for

“It is what our predecessors had in mind when they enshrined the following words in our constitution: ‘Malta is a neutral state actively pursuing peace, security and social progress among all nation,’ the Prime Min ister said

He said this is a declaration of principles that is echoed in the core values and princi ples of the UN Charter, “which we should all be committed to uphold”.

He pointed out that today, peace is threat ened and that unless we come together to work for global order and world peace, we stand no chance For no single state can do it alone!

He said in 1989, Malta played an important role in bringing an end to the cold war by hosting the Bush Gorbachev summit and remains more committed than ever to con tribute to the re establishment and mainte nance of world peace, order, and security

As an island State in the Mediterranean, Malta has witnessed first hand the effects of conflicts in its southern area Citing neighbouring Libya, he called on the inter national community to put aside vested in terests in the country, which is what the Libyan people deserve and what’s best not just for the region, but for the Mediter ranean continent and the African continent

He also mentioned, other wars and vio lence that have caused irreparable harm in Syria, and Yemen, which also led to mass migration.

“Naturally, at this moment the most pro minent is the war in Ukraine Following decades of peace in mainland Europe, this is a stark reminder that peace can never be taken for granted,” Robert Abela said

He pointed out that thousands of civilians have been killed, millions are suffering dev astating losses, millions of people have

Prime Minister of Malta, addresses general debate of 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly

been displaced in Ukraine, which is the largest human displacement crisis today.

He mentioned the threat to global food supplies and energy markets, mostly be cause of the war in Ukraine, and noted those pressures impact small islands like Malta due to their insularity and other specificities He said that Malta would con tinue to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians and condemn tactics and recent statements that do not augur well

Abela stressed that the right to food “is a recognised human right,” with the number of poor globally estimated to have in creased by over 70 million people

He said Malta is a firm believer that inter national fair trade is a key element for the development of nations and particularly im portant for smaller economies

For decades, globalisation has been hailed as the next frontier of economic growth, by enabling human, financial and capital re sources to find their best possible deploy ment, and fostering jobs through interna tional trade, he said However, it is impera tive that during these trying times, the inter national community avoid any temptation to put climate on the backburner

“Make no mistake, the future is green. The future is digital,” he stated Malta has invested heavily in the digital economy in public administration and in the business and social spheres It now ranks first in the EU in eGovernment, and fifth on the EU Digital Economy and Society Index

In parallel to the digital transition, the in ternational community must work on the green one He mentioned recent climate and environmental disasters in various

countries, and called for efforts to continue working towards building decarbonized na tions and societies.

As Malta prepares to embark on its two year term on the Council, he said his dele gation would do its utmost to keep climate change on the international peace and secu rity agenda

With Malta one of the founding members of the Alliance of Small Island States, he noted that water scarcity would be one of the biggest impacts of climate change Malta’s practices in water management, particularly through the sourcing of water through desalination and recycling of wastewater, can serve as a model for ad dressing the world’s future water needs

Drawing on its maritime legacy, Malta’s Prime Minister affirmed that Malta is aware the ocean plays a vital role in combating climate change, but is also vulnerable to its impact, which is why as a member of the Council, his delegation would place partic ular emphasis on bridging the gap between science, policy and law making to address global security concerns, especially for the ocean, the planet’s single largest habitat.

Prime Minister Robert Abela thanked the UN for its trust and confidence in giving Malta the chance to serve on the Security Council for a two year term in January

He said that as a UN member, and as a member of the UN Security Council Malta stands ready to work with other member states to maintain and foster international peace and dialogue

As a member State of the European Union, located between two continents, Malta is committed to promoting dialogue and keep ing security, sustainability and social justice at the very heart of efforts and priorities

In wrapping up, he noted that his 10 year old daughter, wished him to pass on this message: “I would like the world leaders to be an example to us children and leave behind a beautiful Earth”

Prime Minister Robert Abela ad dressing the 77th UN General As sembly in New York

Q. My mother is 79 and moving into an aged care facility. She has an account based pension worth around $450,000. She needs to use this money to pay for a refundable accommodation deposit (RAD). She plans to sell her home but this could take a few months. Will she be able to re invest some of the proceeds from her home into another account based pension once her home is sold?

A. If your mother has been living in her home for more than 10 years, she is able to use the downsizing strategy and invest a maximum amount of $300,000 into super annuation Once the funds are in superan nuation she is then able to commence another account based pension I recommend that you visit a financial planner to advise how best to invest the rest of her surplus proceeds if any, as he would be able to understand her current circum stances and advise accordingly

Q. I am on the full pension and an only child. My father is in his 90s and lives in a retirement village. He has left his estate entirely to me. I would like him to alter his Will and ask him to bypass me and leave his estate to my two chil dren, as I would otherwise lose the age pension. Is this a good idea?

A. If your father is of sound mind he can change his Will However, you may wish to consider asking him to include your chil dren as beneficiaries also and just leaving you a part of his estate Although this may affect your age pension, you do not know what is ahead of you and if you need funds in the future your children may not be in a position to help If you see a financial planner prior to your father altering his Will, you may be advised of how much of

his assets you can receive without this affecting your pension

This is a monthly service offered by The Voice of the Maltese in which Marie Louise Muscat from the Fiducian Financial Services helps our readers under stand the complexities associated with financial planning. If you need more advice send an email to Marie Louise via: maltesevoice@gmail com

Q. I am a pensioner and still enjoy living in my own home. It is quite small but in a very expensive area and worth around $2.5 million. I have run out of financial as sets and am just living on the age pension, which I am finding quite hard to man age. Is there a way of staying in my own home, but gener ating some other income, as I do not wish to sell my home?

Q & QA & A

depending upon your overall situation

A You do have a few options you could look into and visiting a financial planner will benefit you, as he will be able to ex plain these options Options to consider are taking in a boarder who could help with the expenses of running your home.

Another option is the downsizing strategy by moving into a less expensive area and have the surplus funds invested to generate further income You might consider access ing the equity in your property A financial planner will be able to guide you in this You may consider either the Pension Bonus scheme or a reverse mortgage. Either op tion might provide the income you require,

Q. I am a widow and have one son. I have a niece who looks after me and it is her I go to when I need anything as my son lives quite a distance from me and I find him difficult to approach. I am in the process of reviewing my Will. If I leave my niece as an equal benefi ciary as my son, will he be able to contest the Will?

A. Nothing can stop him contesting your Will, but if you are leaving him as a ben eficiary also, he probably will not get anywhere You should ask your solicitor about this while reviewing your Will He will be able to assess your situation and be in a very good position to advise you accordingly

Q. I came into an inheritance earlier this year and was planning of investing $100,000 into superannuation in order to build my superannuation as I plan to retire in five years’ time.

I have left this money in the bank as the markets have been extremely volatile and since I came into this inher itance the share markets seem to have kept going down. Can you help in advis ing me when would be a good time to in vest these funds?

A. We believe in “Time in the markets rather than timing the markets” If you were to invest the funds in superannua tion now, you are investing at a time when the markets are much cheaper than they were in February this year so you are get ting better value for your money

However, we cannot predict when we they are going to reach the bottom Once the turn happens however, it could move fast so you could consider investing a small amount of these funds every week or so in order to average the costs

This document contains factual information only and is not intended to provide any recommendation or opinion in re lation to the topic/s discussed Fiducian recommends that you seek advice from a pro fessional to address any issues that may be raised by this article Fiducian accepts no liability for any loss suffered by anyone who has acted on any information in this document

M i n i s t e r i n a S t a t e o f 3 0 0 c u l t u r e s , 2 1 5 l a n g u a g e s a n d p r a c t i s i n g o v e r 1 4 0 d i f f e r e n t r e l i g i o n s

Hon. Mark Coure

With Maltese and Italian spoken around the family home in his younger years by his grandparents, little did Mark Coure know that would inspire his work as a Minister to build up the NSW Government’s language services

NSW Member for Oatley and Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Seniors, Mark Coure is incredibly proud of his Mul ticultural heritage and, in particular, his connection to Malta

Born and raised in Sydney’s St George area, known for having a strong Maltese community, Mark still lives there today, where he raises a family of his own Together with his wife Adla, who is a school teacher and whose family is originally from Lebanon, raising two sons, James and Sam

Mark has long been active in his community and pas sionate about making it the best it possibly can be.

P E R S O NA L I T Y

That passion for making sure his community had the best saw him run and be come elected to the seat of Oatley in the NSW Parliament in 2011

As the Member for Oatley, he has worked tirelessly to deliver

for his local community He has secured over $700 mil lion for the redevelopment of St George Hospital, includ ing a new Emergency Depart ment, Birthing Unit and Cancer Care Centre. He has also upgraded Oatley and Narwee train stations and commuter carparks at Beverly Hills, Riverwood and Hurstville

Additionally, he has secured funding and upgrades for every local school throughout his electorate and eased traffic conges tion by rebuilding Allawah Bridge, widening the M5 East, and secured funding for on and off ramps at Belmore Road, the widening of King Georges Road and the new M8 tunnels

His hard work and focus on delivering results saw him elevated to Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Seniors in De cember 2021 by Premier Dominic Perrottet portfolios he de scribes as the best in the NSW Government

The Minister told The Voice of the Maltese, “These portfolios see me represent everyone across the state, especially as Minister for Multiculturalism Our state is made up of people from all cor ners of the globe: more than 300 cultures, people speaking more than 215 languages and practising over 140 different religions

“I am incredibly focused on making sure our state is inclusive for each and every person where they can celebrate their unique identity, access services without hindrance, and live the best lives possible.”

On his agenda is the need to learn a second language, something he grew fond appreciation of in his younger years “My grandfa ther and grandmother on my Father ’s side were born in Egypt, and they are from an Egyptian and Maltese background,” he says

“They both came to Australia after World War II and settled in Sydney, in Australia Avenue Matraville Both parents spoke five languages and passed Maltese and Italian to my Father He then would speak these around us, and we would speak them around the home,” he recalls

The choice for the Personality of the Month fills all the boxes. Our choice is both the Minister for Multicultural and Seniors, there fore, his close encounter with an ethnic community that is ageing fast is appropriate.

Minister Coure’s Grandparents, father and auntie

Coure’s passion helps him secure significant investment in NSW’s multicultural future

*Continued from page 4

Minister Mark Coure believes that be ing able to speak a second or even a third language is integral to our success as a multicultural society “Not only is it the key to preserving culture and maintaining a connection to your heritage, but it can create career opportunities and help Syd ney achieve its potential as a global city. “I hope to inspire my sons to learn a sec ond or third language as they age ”

Mark’s passion and commitment to building a stronger society have shone through the 2022 23 NSW Budget, where he secured the most significant investment in NSW’s multicultural future

“We have a $28 million package that will support whole of Government Language Services, boost community cultural events and festivals, and increase our engagement with multicultural and multi faith commu nities,” he says “This is the biggest invest ment any Government in NSW has made into our state’s Multicultural society ”

Mark explains to The Voice that part of the $28 million will see $8 million per year over two years to improve the Government’s language services, which will also see the expansion of its Interpreting Scholarship Program.

He explained that the In terpreting Scholarship Pro gram is perfect for those with the skill to speak an other language and make it into a career. “We know we have so many people in NSW that can speak an other language, and we want to tap into that and create opportunities for them and, in turn, support their respective communi ties,” he says.

As part of the record budget package, $5 mil lion per year for two years will go to cultural events and festivals. This will see community groups and organisations able to apply for funding to run events in their local areas to celebrate and share their cultural identity with others

“This is one of the best things about our diversity here in NSW, the vibrancy and colour of local cultural events and festi vals,” he says “I would love to see more Maltese events happen in NSW, so when the time comes to apply, I strongly encour

munity connect with one another and open your culture, whether it be the food, lan guage or traditions with those from other cultural backgrounds too

“I think this is one of the best things about our society, while we are all from different cultural backgrounds, a healthy curiosity

is shared where people want to experience the events and festivals of other commu nities

“That is why I believe we are so successful as a multicultural society While we are different, we are all united as one,” he adds

Mark goes on to say that the success NSW enjoys today, of course, could not have been pos sible without the hard work and sacrifice of many people that immi grated to Australia, in cluding those from Malta

“Generations, including my own, are enjoying the fruits of their labour,” he says “The Maltese, in particular, have an in credible work ethic They know the value of hard work and know that they have and continue to set up future genera tions for success

“I think many of us know that, and I will make sure my sons know that as well.”

Minister Mark Coure’s latest encounter with the Maltese commu nity was at a Multicultural Forum for eth nic service providers held recently at the Holroyd Centre in Merryland NSW The Maltese community was represented by Miriam Friggieri and Lawrence Dimech (pictured above)

A day out with the family: Minister Coure and his wife Adla with their sons James and Sam age local Maltese groups to apply for funding

“This can help people in the Maltese com

Australia’s 14th Prime Minister John Joseph Curtin

Led the nation’s war effort; regarded as a great leader

Australia’s 14th Prime Minister, John Joseph Curtin guided the nation for the majority of World War 11, from 1941 until his death in 1945. He was born in Creswick, Victoria, on the 8th January 1885 and was the oldest of 4 children. His parents were both born in County Cork Ireland. His father John arrived in Australia in 1873 and moved to Victoria, where he first worked as a warden at Pentridge Prison. And then joined the Victoria Police, where he met and married Catherine Agnes Bourke in 1883. Her family had arrived in Melbourne in 1875.

In office: 7th October 1941 to 5th July 1943

Researched by J o e B U T T I G I EG

John Curtin began his education at St Francis Christian Brothers school in Fitzroy and later in Macedon Primary School However, in 1894, his family moved to Charlton, Victo ria, where he was enrolled at a local State School because a Catholic School had not yet been established.

He excelled academically and was seen as a potential “scholar ship boy” However his family moved again in 1896 due to fi nancial difficulties, moving around the country of Victoria with his father managing pubs in different towns

Curtin attended the local State schools of those towns, and ended his formal education in 1898 at the age of just 13 years old

Soon after he left school, Curtin started working, as an office boy at a weekly magazine called ‘The Rambler ’ and his em ployer was none other than Norman Lindsay, who knew his fam ily But this was a short term job, and it wasn’t until he was 18 years old that he found a job as a clerk with the Titan Manufac

turing Company in South Melbourne in 1903 By that time, he was the family’s breadwinner because his father was a virtual in valid

As a young man, John Curtin was quite a talented sportsman He played football for Brunswick Football Club and cricket,

where he built a reputation as a solid batsman

From a very young age, Curtin always had an interest in politics and was active in the Australian Labor Party He opposed racism due to his belief that racial hatred was used as a tool of the “ex ploiting class”

In 1911 he was employed as secre tary of the Timber Workers’ Union and was elected president of the union in 1914

During World War 1, Curtin was a ‘conscientious objector ’ , a militant anti conscriptionist and was briefly imprisoned in December 1916 for re fusing to attend a compulsory medical examination even though he knew that he would not be accepted into the army due to his poor eyesight.

During this dark period of his life, he took to drink heavily and regularly, which affected his career for many years

When he married Elsie Needham in April of 1917, they moved to Perth and settled in the suburb of Cottesloe where he became the editor of the Westralian Worker, the official trade union newspaper.

Prime Minister John Curtin (right) with General Douglas MacArthur

Four out of five Maltese citizens are satisfied with the local Public Serv ice, a survey conducted by the Euro barometer on behalf of the European Commission indicates. In fact, Malta placed third in relation to the provision of public services

Asked about their level of satisfaction with the provision of public services, 79% of Maltese people said they are happy and that the services are being provided well This is 27% higher than the European av erage.

In the same survey, Maltese respon dents trusted the Maltese Public Service more than their European counterparts, 17% more than the European average Malta places fourth in this classification

The Head of the Public Service, Mr Tony Sultana, said that these results will serve as the basis on which to continue working for better and more digitalised services They also attest to the willingness of the Public Service to constantly update and renew itself and to offer services of the highest quality, and prove the extent to which the highest levels of governance embraced by the Public Service continue to increase trust amongst its clients

The Eurobarometer survey is carried out by the European Commission twice a year and gauges the sentiment of the European pupulation

A strong advocate for the rights of women, children

*Continued on page 4

Curtin enjoyed the less pressured life of Western Australia, and his political views gradually moderated He was a strong advocate for the rights of women and children, and in 1927, he was appointed as a member of the Royal Commission of Child Endowment.

Curtin had a topsy turvy career in Perth In 1925 he stood for Par liament at Freemantle, but lost heavily to William Watson, however, when Watson retired in 1928, Curtin had another shot and this time won the seat and was re elected in Labor ’s sweeping election victory the following year

However, much to Curtin’s disappointment, Watson came out of re tirement in 1931 and won the seat back, which saw Labor collapse to just 14 seats in Parliament. After William Watson announced his re tirement again, Curtin was able to win his old seat back in 1934

When Scullin resigned as Labor Leader, Curtin applied for the job; however, he had a strong opponent in Frank Forde, who had been the Deputy Leader of the Party since 1931 Curtin won the leadership challenge by just one vote, he promised his supporters that he would quit drinking if elected, which eventually he did!

In the 1940 Federal election, Curtin led the party to victory with a five seat swing that resulted in a hung parliament and had no choice but to form a minority government in October 1941

The Japanese attack on Pearl Har bour occurred two months after Curtin became Prime Minister, and Australia entered the war against Japan Bombing raids on Northern Australia soon followed Curtin led the nation’s war effort and made significant decisions about how the war was conducted

He placed Australian forces under the command of the he Allied Supreme Commander in the South West Pacific Area, General Dou glas MacArthur with whom he formed a close relationship.

Curtin realised that Australia would be ignored unless it had a strong voice in Washington, DC, and he wanted that voice to be MacArthur's

He also successfully negotiated the issue of overseas conscription that had split the party during World War 1

The ALP won almost two thirds of the seats in the House of Repre sentatives at the 1943 election, which remains a party record

John and wife Elsie (nee Needham)

*The Prime Minister to be featured in the next issue of The Voice will be Alfed Deakin, the country’s second Prime Minister In his vices as well as his virtues he was touched with greatness

John Curtin died at the Lodge at the age of 60 on the 5th July 1945 after months of ill health attributed to the stresses of the war His body was returned to Perth and laid to rest at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth. Over 30,000 people attended the service, with many more lining the streets

Many of Curtin’s post war reconstruction plans were implemented by his successor Chifley who in 1946 led the ALP to consecutive victories for the first time

Official portrait of Prime Minister John Curtin

Tuesday, October 4, 2022 The Voice of the Maltese 7 79% of the Maltese satisfied with their Public Service

Have your say/Xi trid tghid?

The Voice of the Maltese

is is a bi lingual (in English and Maltese) fortnightly mag azine that specifically targets all Maltese living abroad with emphasis on the Australian and Maltese scenes.

e magazine can be read in flipbook or PDF format online. A pdf copy is sent via email on request.

Hard copy subscription is also available at a cost.

Editors: Malta: Joseph Cutajar

Australia: Lawrence Dimech: MOM, OAM, JP Rt email address: maltesevoice@gmail.com

Letters for publication in The Voice magazine, either in Maltese or English should include name, e mail address and residence of the writer, and be e mailed to: maltesevoice@gmail.com.

Now you can also join us on facebook: https://www.facebook. com/groups/thevoice-

Thank you all who made Il-Bambina feast at St Mary’s (Sydney) possible

Lawrence Scerri from Warrawong NSW writes:

I would like to thank Fr Tarcisio Mi callef for organising once again the Our Lady of Victories feast in Sydney at St Mary’s Cathedral that was held on Sunday 11th September. Fr Tarcisio is full of enthu siasm for the feast, which brings the Mal tese together He is truly a humble servant of the Lord.

It was a great turnout by many coming from far and wide. The feast celebration was missed these last two years because of Covid 19

Thanks also go to the Knights of Malta for

Well done George Cross FC

Emmanuel Caruana from Melbourne writes:

Aallow me to congratulate the Caroline Springs George Cross football club and the whole organisation, in particular the players, coaches, and the hard working committee for their achievements, on the field and off it in the past two seasons. They should be commended for their pro fessionalism

In my youth and middle age I was an avid supporter of the club in what I still consider to be their golden era when they made us, their followers living in the state of Victo ria so proud of them Unfortunately, due to health reasons, I am unable to attend their matches any more but I still look forward to their results and their activities on their Facebook page and the media

Having said that, I also wish to thank The Voice of the Maltese and your correspon dent Victor Brincat for publishing that most interesting article about their promotion to the NPL in the September 13 issue of the magazine They deserve all the accolades and the support they can get.

their involvement and participation. More over, thanks to the High Commissioner and his young family coming all the way from Canberra to be with the Maltese community

The involvement of the Maltese NSW Consulate, Maltese clergy, Mr Boffa Jnr MC, and ladies helping at the MSSP house in Stanley Street afterwards for light re freshments

Viva Marija Bambina, Il Vitorja!

Ma qalu xejn ġdid

M Gatt minn Sunshine Victoria jikteb:

Ezaminajt bir reqqa r rapport ippubblikat fil paġna 9 tal Voice of the Maltese (Nru 283 tat 13 Settembru) u ma naqbilx li fin negozjati mal BOV aħna l Maltin li ngħixu barra, l aktar fl Awstralja, u b’kon tijiet mal bank għamilna xi avvanz.

Il problema l kbira li għandna mal BOV hija li dawn, f ’daqqa waħda, iddeċidew li jagħlqu il kontijiet tal Maltin li jgħixu barra u jibagħtulna l flus lura Din kienet, u għadha l problema!

Id dikjarazzjoni tal BOV naqset serja ment li tispjega dik il problema li ħolqu huma stress Wara l esperjenzi koroh li l Maltin fl Aw stralja kellhom mal BOV ma naħsibx li se jitħajjru jiftħu xi kont gdid Il fiduċja ntil fet. Il fatt li ċittadin Malti għandu dritt li jkollu kont tal bank f ’Malta mhix xi deċiżoni li ħadha l BOV iżda kienet deċiżjoni tal Gvern.

BOV and the Diaspora

Further to the VOM article of September 13, Professor Stephen Gatt from Kens ington NSW, has asked us to publish a copy of a letter he sent to the BOV It was much too long, therefore we have left out items that are personal.

Prof Gatt repeatedly requested the reten tion of his accounts as a test case to show all Maltese people across the diaspora that their accounts are not to be closed

“I find the BOV's activities a gross over reach of your EU and international banking obligations The account closures are highly offensive to your loyal customers of many years standing who pose no banking risk to you.

NSW 2164

“These are the accounts of Maltese citi zens with a right to hold Maltese accounts in Malta They are not tax evaders; they do not constitute substantial risk; their money has not been acquired illegally Many are now elderly hardworking Maltese citizens in nursing facilities ”

Commemorating Malta National Day in Australia

The High Commission of Malta for Australia and New Zealand celebrated the 58th anniversary of Malta’s Independence on 21st Sep tember at the Commonwealth Club in Canberra. It was joined at the High Commission by the Consul Generals for Malta in NSW, (Mr Lawrence Buhagiar), Brisbane (Ms. Sandra Mi callef) and the La Trobe Valley, Victoria (Mr Mario Sammut)

The reception was attended by the Heads and representatives of the diplo matic missions in Canberra, the Chief of Protocol, Mr Ian McConville, DFAT, the President and members of the Maltese Australian Association in Canberra & Queanbeyan, the President of the Australian Maltese Chamber of Commerce, The Aus tralian National University, University of Canberra and The Australian Institute

After observing a minute’s silence in ho nour of HM Queen Elizabeth II, the cere monial toast was raised in affirmation of the warm and cordial relations between the Republic of Malta and the Commonwealth of Australia It was followed thereafter by a video recorded message from the Min ister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Dr. Ian Borg, who spoke about

Malta’s recent achievement of being elected to the UN Security Council for the next two years as of January 2023. He ex plained that Malta would base its term on three main pillars, Security, Sustainability and Solidarity.

In a commemorative speech, the HC, HE Mr Mario Farrugia Borg, spoke about the excellent friendship between the Maltese Islands and Australia, where Malta consid ers Australia as a like minded partner. He

pointed out the long standing people to people links, also since there are around 234,000 Maltese born people or have Mal tese ancestry living in Australia

He also mentioned the fact that the High Commission is working closely with the Australian Maltese Chamber of Com merce to plan a trade mission to Malta

The occasion was kindly sponsored by the Australian Maltese Chamber of Com merce (AMCC) and Escape to Malta Eats.

High Commissioner Mr Mario Farrugia Borg (centre) flanked from left by Ms Sandra Micallef, Ms Gail Demanuele, and Mr Lawrence Buhagiar and Mr Mario Sammut

400-year old frescos uncovered during re s t o r a t i o n a t G r a n d M a s t e r s ’ P a l a c e

During restoration works currently underway at the Grand Masters Palace in Valletta several frescos, dated most probably 400 years ago and painted during the time that Alof de Wignacout was Grand Master have just been uncovered

Thefrescos were discovered in parts of the upper walls of the bedroom the Grand Masters used during summer. They have been removed to be for conserved

The frescos, early 18th Century canvas paintings, that Heritage Malta said are yet to be attributed to any artist, could perhaps be the work of Italian Leonello Spada, who painted three other halls at the palace during Wignacourt’s reign as Grand Mas ter Grand Malta Heritage would be con serving and consolidating these frescos

Meanwhile, the first phase of the restora tion project at the Grand Master ’s Palace is earmarked to be ready by the end of this

year, while the whole project, that is esti mated to cost around €28 million, is ex pected to be completed by 2025

Long awaited Australian tour

Joseph Calleja, one of the most exciting lyric tenors in the world today, is com ing to Australia and New Zealand in Oc tober!

Blessed with a golden age voice which routinely inspires comparisons to leg endary singers from earlier eras, Calleja is now a superstar in all the greatest opera houses and concert halls

In this, his eagerly anticipated debut Aus tralasian tour, the Maltese born singer de scribed as the young Pavarotti will be joined by two of Australia’s best loved artists, soprano Amelia Farrugia, who is also of Maltese heritage, and internation ally acclaimed pianist Piers Lane, in an unforgettable performance

The Auckland performance will also in clude a special guest appearance by the brilliant young Kiwi soprano, Carla Camilleri

calleja

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Connect ing w it h t he Univ erse

TraceyDIMECH

More and more people are openly acknowledging their personal experi ences with being guided by the Universe and yet many aren’t really too sure how to describe the trust they had in the guidance to follow through or for that matter, how to re create the opportunity for more guidance

The Universe uses the language of Intuition to speak to us. You can think of Intuition being the master language, with four main dialects (intuitive abilities) Clairaudience (clear hearing), Claircognizance (clear knowing), Clairsentience (clear feeling) and Clairvoyance (clear seeing).

Our Intuition is almost always guiding us using at least one of the above abilities, however, we are usually not present enough to notice and recognise it

Here are some ways you might find familiar:

Seeing repeat numbers e g 1111 or 333

Hearing a specific song on the radio at a ‘coincidental’ time

Feeling in your gut that something is not right, and it turns out correct

Knowing the one friend you haven’t spoken to in years is going to call you, and they do

You may notice these often, or rarely if at all but the important thing to know is, they are happening and all you need to do is open up the conversation more fre quently and in concentrated times in order to experience the guidance more often.

Firstly, begin with 20 minutes, one day a week minimum The best time is first thing in the morning when your day has not gotten the best of you and your vibration is highest Ensure you won’t be distracted and have pen and paper ready to record anything that might come up for you

Close your eyes gently and set the intention to receive guidance about e.g. leaving my job The goal is to be present at the time and open your awareness to any spon taneous thoughts or visions in your mind’s eye Any emotions you might experience or physical feelings internally and externally, like heart racing and tingles. Also, lis tening for any sounds like humming, buzzing or bells

Be mindful not to try to figure out the meaning of the guidance during the 20 min utes When you are done, record anything that comes up and have a think about if any of it makes sense to your request If not, it may just need time and in hindsight you will understand the guidance.

Doing this regularly will empower you to feel connected when you desire and ul timately, foster a trusting relationship with your universal guidance

To gain the ultimate interpretation of the guidance, development of each of the abil ities is necessary And finally, an effortless connection to Universal intelligence is all about your vibration

The higher you vibe the easier it is to be present, acknowledge, interpret and inte grate the guidance for an intuitive life with grace and flow

Medium, psychic and mentor Tracey Dimech lives in North Avoca, Central Coast, with her hus band Matthew and their three children You can read regular writings by Tracey, the new medium on Woman’s Day

E l e c t i o n f o r t h e S t a t e o f Vi c t o r i a

The 2022 Vic torian state election is scheduled to be held on 26 November to elect the 60th Parlia ment of Victoria All 88 seats in the Leg islative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) will be up for election

The incumbent Labor government, led by Premier Daniel Andrews (above), is seek ing a third successive four year term They will be challenged by the Liberal/National Coalition, led by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy The Greens, other minor parties and several independents will also contest the election

Daniel Andrews and the Labor govern ment are attempting to win a third four year term, something only John Cain Jr and Steve Bracks have previously achieved Opposition Leader Matthew Guy stood down as Liberal leader several days after the party's poor result in the 2018 election He was replaced by Michael O'Brien, whose leadership was spilled on two oc casions in 2021; the latter spill resulted in O'Brien being replaced by Guy in a party room vote and Matthew Guy returning to the position.

Victoria has compulsory voting and uses instant runoff voting in single member seats for the Legislative Assembly, and single transferable vote in multi member seats for the proportionally represented Legislative Council The Legislative Council presently has 40 members serving four year terms, elected from eight elec toral regions each with five members

With each region electing five members, the quota in each region for election, after distribution of preferences, is 16.7% (one sixth) The election will be conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC)

W i z z A i r n o w i n M a l t a Ryanair: 5 new routes to Malta

After being issued with its Air Operator ’s Certificate by the EU Agency for Aviation Se curity and Operating Licence by the Director for Civil Aviation in Malta, on September 28, Wizz Air Malta operated its first flight Rome’s International Airport at Fiumicino to Malta

At a press conference at Malta International airport, Malta’s Minister for Transport Infra structure and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia expressed his satisfacion that Malta was cho sen for this new airline that is ex

pected to register a substantial amount of planes on the island to keep increasing the number of the fleet registered under the mark ‘9H’

The President of WizzAir, Robert Carey said that WizzAir Malta, woud be providing op portunities to strengthen its air line operations, while Captain Charles Pace, the Director Gen eral of the Civil Aviation Direc torate within Transport Malta, said was proud to see Malta being chosen as a major stake holder in the industry.

Ryanair is to add five new routes to Malta and by March would be linking Malta International Airport to 55 other airports.

Its new destinations are Bor deaux in France, Bournemouth in the south of England, Lisbon in Portugal, Shannon in Ireland and Stockholm in Sweden.

Ryanair ’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary stated at a media conference that the market has made a good recovery in the wake of the pandemic and these five new destinations have been

selected as the demand has in creased and passengers want to come to Malta

He said they were seeing very strong growth recovery in low fare air travel and Malta is one of the beneficiary countries

He added that people want to come to Malta for the winter sun so they are continuing to invest heavily in the island to build the partnership established between them over the years

Ryanair presently has six air craft based in Malta and will be operating 300 flights per week

“How to know when the Universe is guiding you” Recognising the ways in which the Universe speaks to you and learning to trust it.”

Roundup of News About Malta

Robert Abela points out Malta’s priorities to UN Gen Secretary

Among a number of commitments re lated to the United Nations in New York where he addressed the 77th UN General Assembly, Maltese Prime Minister

Robert Abela had a meeting with UN Secre tary Antonio Guterres during which he empha sised Malta’s priorities and discussed Malta’s aspirations during its two year term on the UN Security Council, when in January it becomes a member on the UN Security Council.

Abela said that Malta’s priorities would be based on its desire to contribute significantly to the stability of peace and international se curity He also discussed with Guterres the relativity of climate change and security at a time when climate change is increasing pres sure on the availability and potable water as well as the management of natural re sources.

Libya was also addressed with the Mal tese PM stating the situation in Malta’s neighbouring country requires interna tional attention to ensure the future of the Libyan people and the solutions needed that may be established by the Libyan peo ple themselves

Earlier, Robert Abela had a bilateral meeting with the President of the Libyan

Visits to Maltese Centres

In New York, Prime Minister Robert Abela also included a visit to a summit on edu cation and delivered an address, and met the Maltese community centres where he ex pressed his support and appreciation They included the Maltese Centre of New York and the Maltese Centre in Astoria The del egation was given rousing welcomes at both venues and was thanked for its visits

In his visit to the Astoria centre, Dr Abela was welcomed by many children of Maltese descendency and their parents who still pre serve the Maltese language to keep it alive. He was told that the children are very inter ested in learning the Maltese language, and in fact, the number of migrant children learning Maltese there has doubled

Council, Mohamed Menfi, and maintained that a solution should be achieved by the Libyan people themselves without exter

nal influences Menfi on his part expressed his appreciation for Abela’s declaration in his speech to the UN General Assembly.

Prime Minister in bilateral meetings with other leaders

In the margins of the 77th edition of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which he addressed (see Page 2), Prime Minister Robert Abela held sev eral bilateral meetings with heads of state and government

They included a meeting with the Presi dent of the Presidential Leadership Council of the Republic of Yemen Rashad Mo hamed Ali Al Alimi where discussion cen tred on Malta's role in the United Nations Security Council next year.

He also met with Guillermo Lasso Men doza, the President of the Republic of Ecuador As both countries would be work ing together as elected UN Security Coun cil members between 2023 and 2024, the meeting addressed shared agendas and pri orities including peace and security agenda, climate security, and the prioritising of peaceful settlement to disputes

Second Malta Enterprise Start-up Festival

On October 13 14, Malta would be wel coming, local and foreign start ups and scaleups at the second festival for the sector to be organised by the Ministry for the Envi ronment, Energy and Enterprise headed by Minister Miriam Dalli and Malta Enterprise

The Minister said that Malta is open for business and for fresh, innovative, and for ward looking start ups, who think outside the box and who are not only interested in financial profits as their endgame but who also seek to create a better quality of life

“Start ups are a force for progress and pos itive change, and we are here to support

them," stated Minister Dalli

Referring to the two main areas that the event would be focusing on, Malta Enter prise CEO Mr Kurt Farrugia said it would be offering a deep dive into entrepreneurship. The first morning would be dedicated to stu dents so they could experience the technol ogy they can use and help improve but also get the right start up tips and inspiration from relevant local and international speakers.

He also indicated investor matchmaking, as parts of the programme would be dedicated for start ups to pitch to both local and foreign investors

Another meeting was with Ghana Presi dent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, during which, the strong ties between Malta and Ghana were highlighted, partic ularly in areas such as trade and tourism The possibility for direct flights between the two countries was also addressed.

Free transport

A

s of October 1, the residents of Malta have started to benefit from free public transport. Commuters in possession of a per sonalised Tallinja card are now travelling on bus routes free of charge

The measure, announced for the first time in last year ’s Budget speech, is intended to encourage better use of public transport and reduce congestion on the roads

Notte Bianca attracts the crowds to the city

Following a two year reduced version due to the pandemic, the Notte Bianca event in Valletta returned with a bang on Sat urday, October 1 with a highly entertaining and culture programme that attracted an es timated crowd of over 85,000

The spectacle of various forms of arts and high level exhibitions till late at night at the illuminated Malta capital was provided by around 584 artists local and international artists at over 50 different venues

Late afternoon on Saturday thw crowds startd converging on Valletta to the delight not only of the organisers but also to the food outlets

Roundup of News About Malta

Committed to work for humanitarian aid to kids affected by war

The Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg said that Malta remains committed to continue to work to see that all the necessary humanitarian aid continues to be provided so that the rights of children affected by Armed Conflict remain protected and safeguarded

Minister Borg made this commitment at a conference he attended in the margins of the 77th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York

He reiterated that the subject of Children and Armed Conflict would be one of the main priorities for the two year term that Malta would be serv ing on the United Nations Security Council starting in January 2023 He said that Malta would continue to push for peace and in favour of hu manitarian aid.

He had a positive message in favour of unity and peace by claiming that the international community cannot fail countless children in conflict zones worldwide including those with disability, children who require ur gent medical care, as well as displaced and refugee children

Minister Borg emphasised the need for communities to join efforts and forces to ensure that children and their rights are protected and safe guarded

F e a r n e m o d e r a t e s a t m e e t i n N Y

At the Anti Microbial Resistance in New York organised at the margins of the United Nations Gen eral Assembly, Deputy Prime Min ister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne appealed to world leaders to address the bad use of antibiotics

Dr Fearne was moderating the meeting that was attended by vari ous heads of state and health min isters, to discuss the way forward for Anti Microbial Resistance (AMR)

Addressing the meeting he said it was encouraging that they were discussing this subject on a global level, however, he appealed to the leaders that the momentum had to be consolidated with the urgency and specific commitments with

which to fight this crisis

AMR, which was officially recog nised as a global crisis through the 2016 Political Declaration of the High Level Meeting of the UNGA, contributes to almost five million deaths per year, whilst dispropor tionately affecting low and middle income countries In fact, the leaders present at the event ex pressed their concern that if imme diate and serious preventive joint action is not taken, medicine might reach a stage where it would not be an effective cure to treat infections in humans, animals, and plants.

The Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, Barbados and the Ba hamas, along with other ministers, also addressed the event

C o m m e m o r a t i n g 5 8 years of Independence

On September 21 Malta commemorated the 58th an niversary of its Independence, recalling its emer gence as a sovereign state following centuries of occupation by foreign rulers, the latest being Britain

The island’s highest authorities took part in a celebration with the participation of the Armed Forces that formed a Guard of Honour, and included the laying of flowers on the Independence monument in Floriana by the President of Malta George Vella (above), Acting Prime Minister Owen Bonnici and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech

Earlier in the morning Archbishop Charles Scicluna cele brated pontifical high mass at St John’s Co Cathedral, during which he spoke about humility in politics and dialogue that he said should not be through hateful words but rather, through a sense of love

Malta exempted from EU emergency rules to cut electricity demand

Malta has successfully negotiated dero gation from the European Commis sion that imposes on member states mandatory reductions in electricity con sumption

Minister of the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli, in negotiations sealed the deal for during extraordinary En ergy Council in Brussels This derogation is important for Malta, as a country that is heavily dependent on electricity

The minister argued that any mandatory re duction in electricity demand would have a negative impact on families and businesses in Malta.

This is the third derogation Malta has man aged to obtain in this sector In August, the Energy Council agreed on 15% mandatory reductions in gas consumption, but Malta convinced the European Commission that due to its island peculiarities, Malta should not carry this additional burden.

Last year, Malta also successfully negoti ated another derogation by which the pro posed gas pipeline retained its status as a Project of Common Interest

The last proposals presented by the Euro pean Commission are aimed at addressing energy supply issues that Europe is cur rently facing, and that are set to escalate as

gas consumption in winter increases

However, despite Malta's successes in ob taining these derogations, the government remains committed to encourage and incen tivise the public sector, the private sector, and households to reduce energy waste and increase their energy efficiency.

The European Commission proposal stip ulates a 10% mandatory reduction in elec tricity consumption and other reductions when demand is at its peak

Malta is also one of the 15 EU member states pushing for a cap on gas prices to lower electricity prices derived from gas generated production

Wa ra l - m ew t t a r - Re ġ i n a E l i ż a b e t t a I I

Għalkemm mill 1974 ‘l hawn, Eliżabetta II ma baqgħetx ir Reġina ta’ Malta, minħabba li Malta saret Repubb lika, il mewt tagħha ingħatat prominenza kbira fil midja Maltija u importanza mill maġġoranza assoluta tal poplu Malti

Issa għaddew xi ġimgħat mill mewt tagħha u forsi tidher żejda li nibqgħu nsemmuha Imma għadha u mistennija tibqa’ tis semma ħafna wara l mewt tagħha fost il Maltin ukoll

Fuq kollox, għal snin twal hi kienet ir Reġina ta’ Malta u baqgħet konnessa ma’ Malta bħala l Kap tal Commonwealth, għax għalkemm indipendenti Malta xorta baqgħet tifforma parti mill Commonwealth

Imma, forsi aktar importanti, l fatt li bħala Prinċipessa, flim kien ma żewġha għal sentejn sħaħ (1949 1951), ir Reġna kienet toqgħod Malta f ’Villa fi Gwardamanġa

Anke jekk uliedha Charles u Anne, ma kienux jgħixu magħhom f ’Malta, dawn ġew Malta aktar tard, propju fl 1954 fejn iltaqgħu mal ġenituri tagħhom f ’din il gżira.

Wara r Reġina għamlet diversi żjarat f ’Malta fosthom fl 2007 meta hi u żewġha Philip għażlu li jiġi jiċċelebraw l Anniver sarju tad Deheb tagħhom (60 sena) f ’Malta

Ta’ min jgħid ukoll li l aħħar vjaġġ uffiċjali tar Reġina f ’pajjiż barrani kien propju f ’Malta, f ’Novembru 2015 meta flimkien mal Prinċep Philip u binha, illum ir Re Charles III attendew għaċ CHOGM li kien sar f ’Malta.

Kienet Tħobb lil Malta

2015 meta stqarret:

Prince Philip when

Dan ġie kkonfermat anke wara mewtha minn binha l Prinċep Edward f ’laqgħa

kellu mal President ta’ Malta, Dr George Vella,

kien Lon dra għall funeral tagħha Kien qallu li meta titkellem dwar Malta l Familja Rjali Ingliża, tqisha bħala "tal familja

Il President qal ukoll li r Re Charles III jaf sew lil Malta u nduna b'dan kull meta tkellem miegħu Spjega kif ir Re jaf bix xogħol li qed isir f'Villa Gwardamanġa biex tiġi

u jqis dan bħala sinjal ta’ rispett

memorja tar Reġina

M

inkejja r rispett li l kotra tal Maltin għandhom għar Regina Eliżabetta II, xorta ma naqsitx li tinħoloq polemikaf ’Malta wara mewtha Kollox beda meta ċertu Jerome Farru gia beda petizzjoni online biex isir monument lir Reġina Eliżabetta II Dan ta bidu għall kummenti ta’ min jaqbel u min le

Insemmi biss żewġ kummenti: Ir riċerkatur Malti Simon Cusens ma’ The Times sostna li kellu jsir monument u dan ikun propju fil Belt Valetta dan billi, u nikkwotah:

“This woman was the Queen of Malta for 10 years she was the head of state Her father awarded us the George Cross, her reign over Malta saw a boom in the shipyard economy, and she did not simply rule over the country she lived in it She was a resident of Malta a period which, she confessed, was one of the most beautiful in her life,” Mhux tal istess fehma l eks xandar u ġurnalista Charles Flores li mal gazzetta illum sostna li l maġġoranza tal Maltin ma jaqblux Fi kliemu, jekk il pajjiż irid jagħmel

tifkira tar Reġina Eliżabetta, m’għandux bżonn jagħmel statwa u monumenti kbar, għax hemm affarijiet oħra x’jist għu jsiru, bħal xi lapida fil Palazz tal President, bid dati meta din żaret Malta

Kien hawn li saħaq li hemm diversi awturi, artisti u personaġġi Maltin li mietu u baqgħu minsija

“Il lista ta’ dawn

Maltin

tispiċċa qatt L ewwel infakkru lill Maltin im bagħad lill barranin. Hemm Maltin li ħadmu għall ilsien Malti

lil dawn qatt ma għamilnilhom monument ”

Fuq kollox ħafna jsostnu, u naqblu magħhom, li l Gvern nefaq il miljuni ta’ Ewro biex xtara u se jirranġa Villa Guardamanġa fejn kienet toqgħod ir meta kienet tgħix Malta u se jonfoq aktar miljuni biex qed jirranġa l post, u allura dan

Ir Reġina Eiżabetta II

Il faċċata tal Villa Gwardamanġa li qed tiġi rrestawrata: Monument?

Deffsuha wkoll fil-politika Maltija

Donnu b’xi mod kull avveniment għandu b’xi mod jiġi mdeffes fix xena politika Maltija U hekk seħħ fl okkażjoni tal mewt tar Reġina. Dan billi fil gazzetta

tit huwa mejjet Anzi żied jgħid li probab bli ilu mejjet imma ħadd ma nduna.

Nibdlu kliem l-Innu Malti?

Propju lejliet iċ ċelebrazzjoni ta’ Jum

L Indipendenza, u kif iseħħ minn żmien għal żmen, l Editur ta’ the Times taħt it titlu “National anthem: time for a change?” kiteb li forsi wasal iż żmien li nagħtu daqqa t’għajn lejn il kliem tal Innu Malti u naraw għandniex naġġornawh għaż żminijiet tal llum

Semma fost kollox kemm għadu relevanti l kliem “Agħti kbir Alla, id dehen lil min jaħkimha”? li l Editur interpreta bħal li bl Ingliż ifisser “May he who rules, for wis dom be regarded!” (għalija interpretaz zjoni għal kollox żbaljata)

Qal li dan il vers jirreferi għall ħakma In gliża fuq Malta meta Dun Karm Psaila kien kiteb dan l Innu.

L Editur sostna li dan ma għadux jgħodd għal lum meta t tmexxija tal pajjiż ma għadhiex ta’ dak inhar Irrefera wkoll għall vers ““Rodd il ħniena lis sid, saħħa ’l ħad diem.” Bl Editur isostni li dan il kliem żgur ma jirriflettix is sitwazzjoni kif naħsbuha llum dwar kif għandha tkun ir relazzjoni bejn min iħaddem u l ħaddiem

Din mhix l ewwel darba li qamet il kwistjoni ta’ diversi kliem fl Innu Malti. Saru diskussjonijiet sħaħ, u kollox baqa’ kif kien

Mhux għalkemm wieħed jaqbad u jibdel Innu li għandu għeruq fondi u ftit kienu dawk il pajjiżi li biddlu xi parti mill innu tagħhom Għalkemm sintendi l Ingliżi issa jibdlu l kelma Queen f ’King u sentejn ilu fl Awstralja saret ukoll bidla żgħira meta, “For we are young and free” inbidel fi “For we are one and free”.

Kif jgħid l Editur stess, min naħa tagħhom fl Istati Uniti ma għamlu l ebda bidla fl Innu tagħhom minkejja li fih kliem li xejn ma jdoqq fil jiem tallum, fosthom: ““And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ”

The Independent (ta’ Malta) f ’artiklu li kiteb l eks editur tagħha Noel Grima f ’artiklu fl istess ġurnal, xebbaħ lill Par tit Nazzjonalista mar Reġina meta taħt it titlu, “Il Partit Nazzjonalista huwa mejjet daqs ir Reġina”, innota d differenza bejn il festi tal Indipendenza organizzati mill

Partit Nazzjonalista ta’ din is sena u dawk tal imgħoddi Kiteb li din is sena m’hemm xejn u l par

Attwalment, fejn fis snin tal imgħoddi l Partit Nazzjonalista kien jiċċelebra l an niversarji tal Indipendenza bil kbir, din is sena, meta l pajjiż għadu ħiereġ mill Covid 19, wieħed kien jistenna programm mimli daqs bajda ta’ attivitajiet bħal ma kien isir qabel Iżda dis sena ma saret l ebda attivitá tal massa.

Saħansitra tħassar il mass meeting li s soltu jsir fuq il Fosos tal Furjana u min flok, il partitarji ġew mistiedna biex lejliet l Indipendenza, jinġabru madwar il mon ument li jfakkar din il ġrajja storika u jisimgħu messaġġ mill Kap tagħhom

Skont The Times waħda mir raġunijiet għal dan hija s sitwazzjoni finanzjarja tal Partit Nazzjonalist billi dawn l attivitajiet kienu qed jiswew flejjes kbar, u l possib biltà’ ta’ attendenza fqira.

Il-Maltin imħassbin imma ottimisti

Ma jistax jonqos li fis sitwazzjoni preżenti, fejn wara sentejn ta’ kważi staġnar minħabba l Covid 19, faqqgħet l invażjoni tar Russja fl Ukranja, il Maltin huma mħassbin sewwa l aktar bil prezzi jiet li qed jogħlew Iżda minkejja dan, il poplu Malti hu ferm inqas pessimist dwar il qagħda ekonomika tal pajjiż minn tal popli l oħra tal Unjoni Ewropeja Minkejja li l Maltin huma ħafna aktar pożittivi mill ewropej dwar l ekonomija, l impjiegi u s sitwazzjoni finanzjarja per sonali tagħhom, l akbar inkwiet tal Maltin matul Ġunju u Lulju li għaddew kienet l għoli tal ħajja u l prezzijiet. Fil fatt mis toqsijin x'jaħsbu li huma l akbar żewġ sfidi li qed tiffaċċja Malta bħalissa, 52% tal Maltin semmew l għoli tal ħajja. Mis toqsijin liema jaħsbu li huma l akbar żewġ

sfidi li qed tiffaċċja l Unjoni Ewropea, mill ġdid l aktar li ssemmiet kienet l għoli tal ħajja: 32%

It tieni l akbar sfida li qed tiffaċċja Malta u li anke qed tiffaċċja l UE hija l ambjent u l bidla fil klima Fil fatt 24% tal Maltin jaħsbu li din hi t tieni l akbar sfida ta’ pa jjiżna, filwaqt li ftit biss aktar (25%) jemmnu li din hija l akbar sfida li qed tiffaċċja l UE.

Fil każ tal medja ewropea dan it tħassib dwar l ambjent jinżel għar raba' post fil lista ta' sfidi Dan billi fl Ewropa fit tieni post hemm l enerġija, fejn il prezzijiet għolew mas smewwiet, xi ħaġa li ma ġratx f ’Malta minħabba li l Gvern qed jissus sidja l EneMalta u allura l ispiża żejda qed joħroġa hu u ħalla t tariffi kif kienu qabel il kriżi dinjija ta’ bħalissa

Chrisbowenmp @bowenchris Shops 3 & 4, 398 Hamilton Road, Fairfield West, NSW, 2165

Partitarji Nazzjonalisti miġbura quddiem il monu ment tal-Indipendenza jisimgħu lill-kap tagħhom

Australia’s Housing affordability in crisis

Australia's housing affordability is in crisis mode, with the cost and qual ity of available housing forcing many older renters to move into residential aged care earlier than required The Age ing in Place report released by Anglicare Australia reveals that older renters are at a significant disadvantage compared to homeowners when it comes to their ability to age independently

Despite a significant preference (87 per cent) to stay at home as they age, 72 per cent of older renters said high costs stopped them from doing so, compared to just 15 per cent of owners

In addition, the report found that nearly half of older renters live in poverty, with the typical homeowner aged over 65 spending just five per cent of their income on housing, compared to nearly 30 per cent for renters

“Without the capital from owning a home, most renters are unable to buy into a re tirement village They have little left over from the aged pension after rent is paid, pushing many into poverty and hardship,” reads the report

“For too many older Australians, the only option when they can't find a suitable rental is residential aged care ”

N o a p o l o g y : H a n s o n w i l l t a k e F a r u q i t o t h e a i r p o r t

Pauline Hanson, the One Nation Sena tor has declared she’s not racist while doubling down on her comments telling Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to “p off back to Pakistan”

On 9 September, the controversial sena tor used expletives on Twitter in reply to Senator Mehreen Faruqi's recent criticism

of the British monarchy, telling the Pak istan born Australian to go back to her country of birth

The Greens sought to censure Senator Hanson over “her divisive, anti migrant and racist statement” in the Senate The motion passed after being amended by the government and Opposition But it wasn't before the One Nation leader refused to apologise for the remark.

“I will not, NOT retract what I have told Senator Faruqi or any other Australian that’s come here for a new way of life to disrespect what is Australian to me,” Sen ator Hanson said.

“And she can go where I have said I make the offer as well, to take her to the airport.”

Senator Faruqi, moving the motion, said there was a backlash against her and her family, with people calling her husband's workplace to reiterate similar comments

“Many migrants let me know how trig gered they felt It never gets easier to deal with racist attacks,” she told the Senate under parliamentary privilege.

Senator Hanson defended herself, saying she didn't refer to Senator Faruqi's race “This has just been pure, spectacular hypocrisy,” she said

T h e e n d o f t h e U A P ?

After a notorious federal election cam paign, the United Australia Party are no more Following its establishment in 2018 and its noisy presence in the political landscape largely fuelled by its multi million dollar spend on advertising the UAP has come to an abrupt end

The party founded by mining magnate Clive Palmer, formerly known as Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and the Palmer United Party, was voluntarily

deregistered on September 8. A notice published on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website confirmed the deregistration

In the last federal election, its candidates had run in all 151 lower house seats. The UAP managed to secure just one seat in the Senate It's not the first time the party was deregistered. It happened in 2016 and again in 2017 before it was revived in 2018

Malaysian born Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong told the upper house that Senator Hanson's comments were “ap palling” Senator Wong said racist attacks were an “attack on democracy because fundamentally what it is saying is you are not equal”. Senator Wong said a censure motion couldn't be the standard response to social media comments and remarks outside the chamber

The amended motion condemned racism “in all its forms" and "called on all sena tors to engage in debates and commentary respectfully”

Pauline Hanson

Mehreen Faruqi

The First Nations people are angry

housands of protesters have marched the streets of Syd ney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra in opposition to the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth and “racist colonial imperialism ” The Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) organised a National Day of Protest in re sponse to the government's swift action to declare the one off public holiday.

While at Canberra's Parliament House, the likes of politicians and ambassadors gathered to commemorate Queen Elizabeth, others were hitting the pavement to stand against the day. All around Australia, speakers at the rallies vented their anger at the Royals Comments were: “the lead up to the public holiday felt similar to Invasion Day, on January 26 We've been yelling for a day of mourning and demanding one for the last 200 years”

“[Australians] need to ask themselves why our Head of State

doesn't even come from this country And how the head of state got to this country, that's through murder, through pillaging, through [the] dispossession of lands and First Nations people, and that's a continuing, ongoing project I don't believe in a Voice to Parliament until we can address the monarchy

“I think we need to remember that the violence that was her legacy, and that violence was genocide and colonialism, and that is the legacy that she left This is what today is about, the Crown has blood on their hands Our people are still dying in this country every single day.”

Protesters also cut out the union jack of an Australian flag and then drenched it in fake blood “And our calls since 1938 have been silenced So today for their Day of Mourning and their call of silence we're just giving them what they give us, total disre spect.”

Craig Foster

Human rights and the Qatar World Cup

Former Socceroo Craig Foster has been a vocal critic of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar but has agreed to be part of SBS's coverage of the 2022 event, saying he wants to ensure human rights issues are discussed. The World Cup will be held be tween November 20 and December 18

Foster, regarded as one of the best football commentators in Australia, has previously described the contest as the "most problem atic, controversial World Cup in history", pointing out reports from The Guardian of at least 6,500 migrant workers had report edly died since the country had been awarded the tournament and embarked on an unprecedented building program.

The United States Justice Department also claimed that some FIFA officials were bribed to award Qatar their vote to host the World Cup All current and former FIFA of ficials have denied wrongdoing, and Qatar officials have denied any impropriety about the bid

Foster said it had been a “really difficult” decision to join the SBS coverage as he had

Daylight Saving starts

In many parts of Australia Daylight Saving started in October. That means that clocks were put forward by one hour at 2am on the first Sunday in October, in all states and ter ritories except for Western Australia, North ern Territory and Queensland

thought about boycotting the World Cup amid reporting of the migrant deaths “But of course, what that does is that can place you on the periphery of the event and can limit your voice and your opportunity to then raise these issues and to try and give a voice to these families in particular,” He said Instead, he decided to be part of the cov erage based in Australia and donate his fee to the families of the deceased migrant workers. “I don't want to go to Qatar and

spend my money, take happy photos and say that everything is fine because it's not fine”. So he will work from Australia.”

Foster said he was “not prepared to profit from a World Cup that is built on the backs of ... dead migrant workers”. He went on to say, “We can't profit from this World Cup in good conscience without at least step ping forward and raising the issue of those families and doing something for them,” he said.

Ta g ħ r i f d w a r i l

I l

k i t b a b i l - M a l t i

- v a r j a n t i t a l - o r t o g r a f i j a

Inkomplu bl Appendiċi ta’ dan ix xogħol tal Kunsill Nazzjonali tal Ilsien Malti dwar il forom li jintużaw fil kitba biex ikun hemm uniformitá Dan il kliem għandu jinkiteb magħqud meta jkollu tif sira waħda, kif għandu fl eżempju

Tkomplija tal Appendiċi A għalkollox

Issa qtajt qalbi għalkollox Begħna d dar tal Mosta u ġejna noqogħdu Wied il Għajn għalkollox għalxejn

Jgħidu li l qasba ma ċaqċaqx għalxejn għarukaża, għarkaża X’għarukaża! Ara ftit fejn mar jixħetha l borża taż żibel! hawnhekk

Ersaq ’l hawn u poġġi hawnhekk. Hawnhekk iltqajna ma’ għawġ ieħor hemmhekk

L imħallef widdbu biex ma jersaqx ’l hemmhekk

infatti

Sewwa qed tgħid, infatti jien dan għaddejt minnu

inġenerali

Wara żmien twil tinħema fil privat, id deċiżjoni tħabbret lill pubbliku inġenerali

inkonsiderazzjoni

Meta niġi biex niġġudika, dawn il fatturi serji jkolli noħodhom inkonsiderazzjoni

inkwantu

Inkwantu għalina tinkwetax, għax aħna nafu nfendu għal rasna

inkwistjoni

Kellna ħafna każi ta’ korruzzjoni, imma l każ inkwistjoni huwa l agħar wieħed sa issa

insè

L ikla insè ma kienet tgħid xejn, imma

Il-festi liturġiċi fl-irħula u fl-ibliet: dawk li fadal

Tnejn mit tliet festi titulari reliġjużi għal dan ix xahar ta’ Ottubru saru wkoll u jonqos biss waħda, dik tat 30 ta’ Ottubru, it tieni waħda għal dan ix xahar ta’ Ottubru tal Madonna taċ Ċintura wara dik li saret fit 3 tax xahar fil belt Valletta fil parroċċa tal Agostinjani.

Wara jkollna l ewwel jiem ta’ Novembru ddedikati għall mejtin u ċ ċelebrazzjoni reliġjuża fil knejjes kollha Maltin, tal Qaddisin kollha Biex jibqa’ biss il festa ta’ San Gwann f ’Ta’ Xbiex Il Kalendarju tal festi liturġiċi mbagħad jidħol għal aħħar xahar tas sena, Diċem bru fejn issir waħda mill akbar festi liturġiċi tal parroċċi, il Kunċizzjoni f ’Bo rmla Fl istess jum isiru tnejn oħra tal Kunċzzjoni, mhux b’daqstant pompa,

OTTUBRU

30: Madonna taċ Ċintura: Il Gudja

xorta ħadna pjaċir li ltqajna

intant

Suppost ġew jgħinuna kmieni Intant, ħalli nkomplu bix xogħol

jalla

Nixtiqilkom kull ġid; jalla jkollkom ħajja ħienja flimkien

kemxejn

Din kwistjoni kemxejn delikata. Dan l ar tiklu kemxejn itwal minn tal bieraħ kulħadd

Kulħadd iħobb ftit tal mistrieħ wara ġur nata xogħol

kuljum

Imur jara lil ommu kuljum. Din it triq ngħaddi minnha kuljum għax xogħol kullimkien

Fittixtu kullimkien, u ma sibtu mkien.

Ikompli fil ħarġa Nru 286

Two activities by the MCA NSW in October

NOVEMBRU DIĊEMBRU

13: San Gwann tas Salib: Ta' Xbiex

8: Il Kuncizzjoni: Bormla

Il Kuncizzjoni, L Ibraġġ

Il Kuncizzjoni: Rabat, Għawdex (San Franġisk

11: Santa Luċija: Santa Luċija, Għawdex

13: Santa Luċija: L-Imtarfa

Kif

kulħadd

The Maltese Cultural Association of NSW (MCA NSW) is organising two activities dur ing October, start ing with the showing of the Maltese film, 'Id Destin', at the La Valette Social Cen tre on Sunday 9th Entrance is free

Then on Wednesday October 12, it is organising a 5 star coach trip to Canberra to visit the famously beau tiful Canberra Floriade While there, the group will pay a courtesy visit to the High Commission of Malta

Anybody interested should contact: Monica Ledger on 0414 859 386

You are encouraged to attend both activities and encourage friends and relatives to join us.

Hope to see you on both of these occasions

Reaching the disaspora

If you are interested in advertising in The Voice of the Maltese magazine in order to reach the widest audience possible, partcularly among the Maltese diaspora, you are requested to write for details to: Maltesevoice@gmail.com

Ibraġġ u oħra fir Rabat Għawdex Dawn huma l festi tal parroċċi li fadal:

Il-monument ta’ ‘Ħbiberija, u (lemin) L Arċipriet, il Kanonku Frankie Bajada mad Deputat Sindku tal Kunsill ta’ Loreto, Naz zareno Pighetti

l - G ħ a r q a t a l - H e p h a e s t u s

F te h i m t a’

ħ b i b e r i j a

Ġ

ie iffirmat ftehim ta' Ħbiberija bejn Għajnsielem u l belt Taljana ta' Loreto f'Ancona, deskritt, bħala li se jkun għodda importanti fit tisħiħ tar re lazzjonijiet kemm ta' ħbiberija kif ukoll in terkulturali bejn iż żewġ lokalitajiet.

Bħala parti mill proġett Erasmus + tnax

il Venture u Rover Scout u tliet leaders, mill Victoria Scout Group, attendew kamp fl Ungerija fi proġett li kellu t tema Xi tfisser għalina

mgħarraq it tanker Hephaestus Dan hu r raba’ vapur f ’qiegħ il baħar f ’dawn l in ħawi biex jgħin l isport tal għadds Dan il proġett ta’ ħolqien ta’ siti artifiċjali f ’Għawdex imur lura 23 sena meta fl ewwel żmienijiet tagħha l Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) ħadet l inizjattiva biex f ’dan il post tgħerreq biċċa tal baħar ħal lid l bugħaddasa jkollhom sit alternattiv fejn jipprattikaw l isport favorit tagħhom F’Novembru 1999, fl istss post, b’kollab orazzjoni mal Gozo Channel u l Ministeru ta’ Għawdex, il GTA għerrqet l MV Xlendi

Imbagħad kważi seba’ snin wara, f ’Awwissu 2006 ġew mgħarrqa żewġ va puri oħra flimkien l MV Cominoland u l MV Karwela

Dawn l inizjattivi jżidu jpoġġu lil Għawdex fost id destinazzjonijiet favoriti għad diletanti ta’ qiegħ il baħar. Bihom, minbarra li tiżdied l attrazzjoni fix Xatt l Aħmar u jiżdied ibejjet ukoll aktar ħut fit tramuntana u l Majjistral ta’ Għawdex.

Il ftehim ġie iffirmat bejn id Deputat Sindku tal Kunsill ta’ Loreto, Nazzareno Pighetti u s Sindku ta' Għajnsielem Kevin Cauchi, li wkoll kixfu monument bl isem ta’ ‘ĦBIBERIJA’, skultura fil ġebla Mal tija, xogħol l iskultur Għajnselmiż Joe Xuereb u li tbierek mill Arċipriet Frankie Bajada.

Fi programm ippreżentat minn Lelio Spi teri, il baritonu Charles Buttigieg kanta l Ave Maria akkumpanjat mill pjanista Ma ria Mifsud

Qabel iċ ċerimonja d delegazzjoni minn Loreto attendiet għal Quddiesa Pontifikali fil Knisja Parrokkjali ta' Għajnsielem (id dedikata lil Madonna ta’ Loreto) li kienet immexxija mill Isqof Anton Teuma

Mill

ira

Spiteri

Il prodott turistiku Għawdxi ssokta jigi mtejjeb dan l aħħar meta fin naħa tan nofsinnhar ta’ Għawdex, fis sit ftit il barra mill Bajja tax Xatt l Aħmar ġie

The Voice of the Maltese

Il-Bambina lura f ’Sydney

Għal darb’oħra wara tliet snin ta’ postponimenti minħabba l Co vid 19, nhar il Ħadd 11 ta’ Set tembru fil Katidral grandjuż ta’ St Mary’s fil belt ta’ Sydney ġiet iċċelebrata l festa ta’ Maria Bambina li f ’jum sabiħ tar reb biegħa attendew għaliha nies minn għadd ta’ nħawi ta ’Sydney u oħrajn ta’ NSW Wara l bidu taċ ċerimonja bir rużarju, saret il purċissjoni bil vara ta’ Maria Bambina li ġiet imdawra fuq ġewwa tal katidral, segwita mill membri tal kleru, persuni distinti Maltin, rappreżentanti tal

Kunsill Malti ta’ NSW u ta’ għaqdiet oħra.

F’isem is soċjetá Missjunarja ta’ San Pawl (MSSP) is Sur Mark Boffa ta merħba lil min attenda b’mod speċjali lill persuni distinti, fosthom il Kum missarju Għoli ta’ Malta fl Awstralja l ET Mario Farrugia Borg, il Konslu Ġenerali Lawrence Buhagiar, il Kavallieri ta’ Malta (SMOM), u s sori jiet Dumnikani Huwa fakkar lil dawk li ħallewna, fosthom Lino Vella Wara, erba’ qassisin Maltin tal MSSP, Fr Tarcisio Micallef u Fr Sylvio Bezzina, Fr John Briffa SDB u Fr Laurie Cauchi PP flimkien mad djaknu Louis Azzopardi ikkonċelebraw Quddiesa.

Fr Sylvio Bezzina li ġie minn Melbourne għall okkażjoni għamel l omelija u semma l avvenimenti storiċi li sawru l istorja ta’ Malta b’konnessjoni mal festa tal Vitorja b’tifkira speċjali tat twelid ta’ Maria Bambina

L okkażjoni saret bil Malti u parti minnha bl Ingliz għal min iħossu aktar komdu jifhem b’din il lingwa

Waqt iċ ċelebrazzjoni tkantaw għadd ta’ għanjiet tradizzjonali Marjani mill kor tal Għaqda Kulturali ta’ NSW immexxi minn Marisa Previtera

Fr Tarcisio Micallef għalaq l okkazjoni bi stedina għal bibita f ’Depiro House, qrib il Ka tidral. Ta’ min ifaħħar lil min ta sehmu biex il festa reġgħet se seħħet.

Maltese Sen ior s Social Welfar e Day Gr o ups

Llandilo Maltese Seniors

Meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Llandilo Community Hall, 257 Seventh Avenue, Llandilo 11am to 1 00 pm Group holds regular Informa tion Sessions/Workshops & Bus Trips

Group Leader: Helen Azzopardi

Merrylands Social Maltese Seniors

Meets every second Friday of the month Miller Room, Memorial Avenue Merrylands from 10 30am to 12 30 pm

Group Leader: Salvina Falzon

Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors

Meets on the last Tuesday of the Month Group meets in St Theresa’s Parish Hall, cnr of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fairfield Heights from10 am to 12 noon

Group Leader: Dorothy Gatt

Maltese of Bankstown

Group meets 3rd Wednesday of month in the Bankstown CBD area Every other 3rd Thursday an outing Enquiries call: Sam Galea 0410 269 519

Daceyville Maltese Seniors

Meets the last Wednesday of the month in Meeting Room One, No 3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus Trips Join us and make new friends

Group Leader: Doris Scicluna

The Sutherland & St George Maltese Group

Meets every first Wednesday of the month in July, September, November & December and in February, April & June 2023 From 10:00am to 12noon at the Miranda Community Centre 93 Karimbla Rd cnr Kiora Rd Miranda Meetings are interesting & informative. Membership is free, so is Morning Tea/Coffee/Cake

Outings every other month. Come & make new friends For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud JP Phone (mb 0421 662 298)

Greystanes Maltese Seniors

Meets on the second Monday of each month at the George Preca Parish Cen tre Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Church, 198 Old Prospect Road, Grey stanes from 10 am to 12 noon

Group holds regular Information Ses sions/Workshops & Bus Trips Gro up Leader: Frances Montesin

Men’s Group

Meets every last Tuesday of the month at the MCC Centre at 59b Franklin Street Parramatta West (next to the Pri mary School), from 10 to 12 noon Dis cussion, information and renew friendship Pastizzi, Kinnie etc avail able Contact Fred or Laurie 9631 9295

cer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC offices are at 59b Franklin Street (Cnr Young St) Parramatta West NSW.

*(All Groups are coordinated by The Maltese Community Council of NSW) with a sponsorship from Multicultural NSW. Contact the MCC Welfare Offi

L istatwa ta’ Maria Bambina tidher qed tiġi mdawra fuq ġewwa tal katidral ta’ St Mary ’s

IIl Kummissarju Għoli ta’ Malta

Awstralja l ET Mario Farrugia Borg (lemin) u il Konslu Ġener ali Lawrence Buhagiar

Our Lady Queen of Peace Maltese Festa 2022 at Greystanes, NSW

After a week of wet and gloomy weather, the sun came out very timely on Sunday the 25th Sep tember 2022 to celebrate the long awaited festa of Our Lady of Victories (closest to the 8th September) at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Greystanes, NSW The occasion had not been celebrated outdoors since 2019 due to the pandemic

This annual traditional festa has been celebrated in the parish continuously for several decades, since Grey stanes has been the hub for several Maltese families who settled since the 1950’s Although still predominantly at tended by the Maltese from surrounding suburbs near and far, it has now become more of a community festa wel coming residents of all nationalities living in the locality

The festa commenced with an evening Solemn Mass on Saturday 24th September The festivities then con tinued with a special afternoon Mass on Sunday that was attended by several Maltese as well as parishioners of other nationalities It was celebrated in English by the Parish Priest, Fr Paul Roberts who welcomed every body and acknowledged the presence of the Consul General for Malta in Sydney, Mr Lawrence Buhagiar and his wife Roseanne as well as Hon Julia Finn MP, State Member for Granville.

Fr Roberts spoke about the history related to this festa, as gratitude by the Maltese to Holy Mary for interceding in the ‘victory’ for Malta in major battles against the enemy in 1565, 1798 and 1945

The Maltese Cultural Association of NSW choir sang hymns in both Maltese and English that included the traditional hymn to Our Lady sung on the occasion of the feast of Her Nativity, also known as il Bambina.

On this occasion the grand statue of Our Lady, which is permanently displayed in this parish (pictured left), was moved outdoors in procession preceded by the Mal tese Concert Band NSW playing hymns of praise to Mary, and the recitation of the Rosary, on the grounds of the parish church

Aloysians’ reunion in Sydney a success

Afourth reunion open to all St Aloysius College (SAC) Malta alumni and for mer college staff members residing in Syd ney was held recently It was hosted ny professor Stephen Gatt at his residence in Kensington It was also attended by Mario Farrugia Borg, Malta’s HC in Australia

This particular reunion was much antici pated, following two years of postpone ments due to COVID lockdowns Other attendees included former SAC Malta

alumni from the business, professional and creative fields.

Maltese favourite food, including bigilla, pastizzi, kannoli and żebbuġ mimli (stuffed olives), were served throughout the pleas ant evening, all washed down with Maltese popular beer and soft drink.

Many laughs and memories were shared, as well as stories and various experiences from bygone days at SAC Malta The event was a great success

The crowd grew as the day went by It was most delightful to see so many enjoy ing the festivities in an atmosphere not seen since before Covid 19

Thanks to the capable OLQP Festa Com mittee led by Chairperson, Julie Piscopo, the Parish Festa Day was extremely well organised The attending crowd enjoyed a large number of food stalls selling tradi tional Maltese foods of all kinds.

There was also entertainment set up for the kids, which also included a sample soc cer practice activity organised by the Melita Eagles Sports Club

The festivities continued through the evening with the musical performance by the Maltese Choir directed by Marisa Pre vitera, the Greystanes Youth Band and the Maltese Concert Band The Festa con cluded with an impressive fireworks dis play by All Occasions Pyrotechnics.

It was encouraging to see several youth as well as many young families of Maltese descent at this cultural occasion It is also very promising to see youth members leading and assisting the OLQP Festa Committee in NSW together with the older members, several of who had served on this committee for many decades

The reunion (from left): James Vella Bardon, Mark and Lisa Fiorentino, Jennifer and Pierre Fenech, Patrick Ellul (special guest), Paul Farrugia, Michael Azzopardi, Mario Farrugia Borg, Robert Tagliaferro, Dery Sultana, Stephen Gatt (kneeling), Ingrid German and Philip Micallef

The Prince is crowned King Charles III

What does the King actually do?

Having ascended the throne following the death of his mother, Charles III is now King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms, including Australia, but what is it that a monarch does and what is the role King Charles III will now play?

Dr Cindy McCreery, senior lecturer in history at the University of Syd ney said, “There's not a lot he has to do”, as his role is mostly ceremonial. Really, what is left for the monarchy in Britain today are a few ceremo nial activities, Dr Mc Creery said.

Up until the late 17th century, British monarchs ruled in a much greater sense than they do today

While earlier Kings and Queens had been absolute monarchs, the British Royal family has now op erated within a constitu tional monarchy system for more than 300 years.

Following what was termed the Glorious Revolution, the monarch in the UK had to rule in accor dance with parliament

The monarch's main responsibility is ap pointing and dismissing the UK prime minister “But again, that's on the advice of the government,” Dr McCreery said. “The monarch usually opens [the UK] par liament every year and delivers a speech from the throne. But that speech is not written by the monarch; the speech is writ ten for the monarch by the prime minis ter,” she said

Dr McCreery pointed out that there had been times in history when the reigning monarch had not carried out this duty. “It's not a rule that parliament can't sit if the monarch hasn't opened it,: she said

As King, Charles III also picked up two other ceremonial roles; he became the head of the Anglican Church and head of the British armed forces Dr McCreery said that this is not something that the monarch gets directly involved in as op posed to previous centuries when mon archs did actually lead British armies, or English armies in particular, into battle

As the monarch, King Charles III is Aus tralia's head of state, which is the highest representative of a territory. This is the case for all 15 Commonwealth realms, in cluding the United Kingdom

While the monarch acts in a leadership role of the British armed forces and pro vides royal assent to legislation there, in Australia, it is the Governor General as the King's representative that fulfils these roles

“The Governor General is, for all intents and purposes, acting, if you like, on behalf of the monarch in Australia " UK prime ministers often made mention of the late Queen's political knowledge, something they noticed through their weekly meet ings with her, a practice that King Charles had already picked up Dr McCreery says it is a custom rather than any rule, a cus tom that's been very well observed

The monarch does retain the right to be consulted and also the right to advise and to warn However, there is no obligation on behalf of the prime minister to listen to anything that the monarch says or to act on it Dr MCreery says that the purpose was for the King or Queen to be briefed on government matters

“There's absolutely no record of those meetings or, what, if any influence, the Queen might have had on the prime min isters of her reign," Dr McCreery said

King Charles, like his mother before him, has a close circle of royal family members who are known as Counsel lors of State, who are able to step in for him in certain situations

King Charles 111 and Queen Consort Camilla are expected to move to Buckingham Palace from Clarence House

Although Dr McCreery said that like British Monarchs before him, the new King would likely spend time across a number of residences

In terms of what Charles does every day, really, there are relatively few require ments, he would play a diplomatic role, as the monarch is responsible for welcoming dignitaries such as ambassadors and High Commissioners to the Court of St James in the UK

Queen Consort Camilla expects him to spend some time travelling to Common wealth realms and foster the royal family's longstanding relationships with charitable organisations through engagements with the British public

Dr McCreery said King Charles might choose to focus some of his time on pro moting environmental issues as he had done in the past and spend time on areas which he is passionate about, which in clude architecture, town planning and or ganic farming.

AleishaOrr (Source: SBS News)

Buckingham Palace: King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla’s ‘new’ home

C o m m u n i t y N e w Cs o m m u n i t y N e w s

i

n t o

n d

n

SBS RADIO: 97 7 FM Tuesdays 12:00pm; Friday 12:00pm Listen on Digital Radio or Live Streaming on www sbs com au/radio/ or on TV Channel 38.

On Demand and podcasts on www sbs com au/maltese

SBS TV: SBS TV news from Malta every day at 4 30 pm on Channel 35 also on demand

VICTORIA

3ZZZ 92 3FM: Mondays 5 6pm, Fri days 5 6pm and Saturdays 10 11am

Presenters: Paul Vella, Mario Sam mut, Liz Phillips Listen live on www 3zzz com au

98.9 North West FM: Mondays 7 8pm and Fridays 6 7pm Maltese Pro gram. Presenter: Emmanuel Brincat.

Listen live on www northwestfm org/ ethnic radio/ 97.9 FM Melton: Tuesday 6 00pm to 8 00pm Maltese Program Presenter: Miriam Vella Live streaming on www 979fm com au

NSW

2GLF FM 89.3 Maltese Voices with Marthese Caruana: Sundays 10:00 am to 11:00am One hour of Maltese talent, songs from Maltese artists

2GLF FM 89 3 Maltese Community Council programme: Sundays 11 00am to 12:00pm News from Malta, music, information, culture, in terviews, community notices and top ics of interest Listen live on

We offer legal services in Melbourne (Lt Collins Street) and Werribee

Family law is our specialty

• wills, powers of attorney,

• manage deceased estates, and provide

• purchase and sell property

• purchase and sell businesses

• divorce, children, property,

• child support, intervention orders.

• Maltese Wills, Powers of Attorney

• Maltese Property matters

Marlene Ebejer (speaks Maltese)is an accredited family law specialist

Phone: 03 9741 1722

www ebejerlawyers com au)

email reception@ebejerlawyers com au

We get to the point, provide the right ad vice and get the work done at a reason able price.

St Nicholas Festa

Sunday. October 16: Fete Sat. Nov. 19: Dinner Dance

Sunday December 4: Festa

www 893fm com au or On Demand on www 893fm com au/on demand/ WOW-FM 100 7: Tuesdays 6pm to 9pm. Maltese program with Joe Borg and Michael Mallia Listen live on www wowfm1007 com au

VOX FM 106 9: Mondays 5pm to 6pm Voice of Valletta Illawarra Mal tese program presented by Louis Parnis Live streaming on www voxfm org au

QUEENSLAND

4EB FM 98 1: Tuesdays 6:00am to 8:00am; Presenter: Lucy Stewart. Music, news from Malta, topics of in terest, song requests, community an nouncements Live streaming on www 4eb org au or On Demand on www.4eb.org.au/shows/program bill malti global maltese/

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

5EBI FM 103 1: Maltese Community Radio Program from Adelaide Sun day: 7 00am; Monday: 8 00am; Mon day: 6.00pm. Presenters: Bernadette Buhagiar and Ron Borg Listen live or On Demand on www 5ebi com au

S p o r t Ss p o r t s

Rugby League for the Maltese

Gavin Borg from Malta Rugby League (MRL), has provided The Voice with information for the many Maltese in NSW that follow this game.

The MRL began in 2004 and by 2014 was only ranked 27th and av eraging 1 4 International matches per year Since the beginning of 2015, it worked towards the strategy of building a more competitive roster and in creasing the number of official sanctioned matches to improve its rankings

Notwithstanding the two year pandemic hiatus, it now averages five test matches a year (one of the highest participation rates in the International Rugby League) In De cember 2021 it reached its all time highest world ranking of 15th Malta are the Cur rent Emerging Nations World Champions (defeating the South Pacific favourites, Niue in the 2018 final)

As of July 2022 Malta is now ranked 10th out of the 47 nations that are currently recognised by the International Rugby League (IRL) INTRL World Rankings https://www intrl sport/world rankings

Pro - Semi Pro - Amateur

MRL’s eligible playing roster extends down from the elite competitions of the Na tional Rugby League (NRL) and European Super League through to Semi Profes sional State Cups and English Champi

onships Players also participate in amateur level competitions across Malta, England and Australia.

Maltese eligible Sean O’Sullivan made his debut this year for NRL premiers Pen rith Panthers Centurions Super League backrower Sam Stone represented Malta in the 2018 Emerging Nations campaign.

Gavin told The Voice: “We have a roster comparable to the highest ranked teams in Europe Given an opportunity to play these nations regularly at full strength, Malta will be a top 10 nation in Rugby League. (Pre sently 10th) That level of success is un precedented in Maltese sport Our focus leading into 2025 is to target some of those top 10 nations”

The 2025 World Cup is in France. Malta aims to qualify for the Youth and Women’s tournaments MRL is seeking partners to assist the squad’s travel and accommoda tion arrangements for the compulsory re gional qualifiers (in Europe 2023).

Malta Rugby League operates a Junior De

M a l t e s e at UCI Road World C’ship

Malta made history by competing for the first time in the 2022 UCI Road World Championship in Wollongong, NSW, Australia with two cyclists of Mal tese descent living in Australia, Daniel Bonello and Alexander Smyth

They were among over 1,000 top interna tional cyclists from 70 plus nations who participated in the Time Trial around the coastal city of Wollongong, south of Syd ney circuit over a distance of 34 2km

Norway’s Tobias Foss won in 40:02 78 Bonello finished in 44:57 14; Smyth in 47:14 64

Malta was also given a wild card for Bonello to take part in the Road Race in Helensburgh (266 9 km) won by Belgian Remco Evenepoel

Joe Bajada (secretary general Malta Cy cling Federation and UCI voting delegate participated in the UCI Congress

Lijana Aussie Jnr Squash Champ

Brisbane based Malta born Lijana Sultana has won the Australian National Squash Championships Under 17 Girls title held in Perth to become Junior champion

During their stay, the Maltese were invited by Louis Parnis, President of George Cross Community Centre at Cringila to a recep tion Also present were, Wollongong May or Gordon Bradbery and NSW Consul General Lawrence Buhagiar, BELOW: At the George Cross Community Centre. From left: Gordon Bradbery (Lord Mayor Wollongong), Cyclists Daniel Bo nello and Alexander Smyth, Louis Parnis, Joe Bajada, and Lawrence Buhagiar (NSW Consul General)

velopment Pathways programme in Aus tralia, providing players with an opportunity from a young age to proudly represent their Maltese heritage in Rugby League and to lay a platform for progression into the na tional team https://www maltarugbyleague com/pathways

M a l t a f a i l s i n b i d f o r

m o t i o n

For the second successive edition, Malta’s National football team failed to secure promotion from Group D2 in the UEFA Nations League after losing 2 1 in Tallinn against Estonia. Malta failed to get the win by the two goal margin needed for promotion

Malta had a disappointing performance in the first half when they not only conceded a goal from a penalty but also had Jean Borg red carded

They played much better with 10 men after the break and levelled from a Teuma penalty but a defensive error let in the Es tonians for their winner

Five days later Malta beat Israel 2 1 in a friendly international at Ta’ Qali with two late goals by Alex Satariano and Ferdi nando Apap. Israel had taken a 32nd lead from a penalty

MFA suspends head coach

Malta played this match under stand in coach Davide Mazzotta who replaced head coach Devis Mangia who was (and still is) temporarily suspended by the MFA for ‘breaches of its legal policies’, following revelations that he is being investigated for alleged sexual harassment towards

Photo: George Bartolo

Malta Rugby League players