On 13th December Malta commemorates the 48th Anniversary of its Republic Day (Jum irRepubblika). On this day in 1974 Malta revised its constitution and was transformed into a Republic, and Sir Anthony Mamo named as the State’s first President (Turntopage12)
The Republic Day Monument at Marsa
Fl Empire Stadium fil Gzira fit 2 ta’ Marzu, 1945 qabel ma bdiet il logħba ta’ ħbiber ija bejn Malta u t tim Jugoslav, Hadjuk ta' Split kien indaqq kemm l innu nazzjonali Ju goslav kif ukoll il God Save the King, bla ma daqqew l Innu Malti. Il folla irrabjat, qamet bil wieqfa u bdiet tkanta l Innu Malti Il poeta Ruzar Briffa li kien prezenti jitkellem dwar dan il mument fil versi tiegħu: Jum ir Rebħ
U l Kotra qamet f ’daqqa u għajtet: “Jien Maltija! Miskin min ikasbarni, miskin min jidħak bija!”
U l Kotra għanniet f ’daqqa u semmgħet ma ’ l irjieħ
L Innu ta’ Malta tagħna, u l leħen kien reb bieħ,
Kien zmien li konna kolonja, mhux biss bla innu nazzjonali izda bla ma nmexxu lilna nfusna. Kien zmien li l ħaddiema u n nisa ma kellhomx vot, u bħala Maltin ma kellniex is saħħa biex noħolqu l ġid u x xogħol Eluf kbar ta’ Maltin u Għawdxin kellhom ifittxu x xogħol f ’pajjiżi oħra Tant li sal lum stess aktar minn tliet kwarti tal Maltin (76.6%) għandhom qraba jgħixu f ’pajjiżi oħra
Illum nistgħu nkantaw l Innu ta’ Malta tagħna. Imma aktar milli nkantawh għandna ngħixuh u naħdmu biex dak li ngħidu bil kliem nagħmluh bil fatti
L innu Malti sabiħ Inkiteb 100 sena ilu Għadu jgħodd sal lum Kliemu jfisser ħafna Kulma fih 38 kelma.
Għallinqas il kontroversja tagħna ta’ nuqqas ta’ qbil fuq il jum nazzjonali li wasslet għall kompromess b’ħames festi nazzjonali, ma sar itx ukoll fl għażla ta’ innu nazzjonali Għallinqas m ’għandniex ħames innijiet naz zjonali. Qabel seta’ jinbidel biss b’żewġ terzi; issa jista’ jinbidel anki b’sempliżi maġġoranza fil parlament.
Il kliem ta’ Dun Karm igib l għaqda u hu inklussiv, mill bidu Inkiteb 100 sena ilu meta Malta kienet kolonja, insulari, Kattolika, monokulturali Illum sovrani, miftuħa, seku lari u multikulturali
Il kliem għadu jgħodd? X’jista’ jinbidel biex jirrifletti aħjar iż żminijiet tal lum? għandu għalfejn jinbidel?
Disgħin fil mija tal Maltin jgħidu li għadhom jemmnu f ’Alla għalkemm 58% biss jgħidu li r reliġjon importanti għalihom Il kliem ta’ Dun Karm dwar ir reliġjon huwa dwar il valuri: mhux kliem dwar reliġjon istituzzjoni, knisja u kultura magħluqa klerikali.
Għadu jgħodd għall pajjiż b’firda bejn knisja u stat għax lajċiżmu ma jfissirx ateiżmu jew antiklerikaliżmu u anti reliġjon. L innu mhux żenofobu, l imħabba lejn Malta ma tfissirx mibegħda lejn pajjiżi oħra L appell biex pa jjiżna jitmexxa b’dehen żgur għadu meħtieġ ħafna, l istess meħtieġa ħafna għadha s soli
darjetá u l koperazzjoni bejn dawk li jħaddmu u l ħaddiema Il messaġġ tal għaqda fost il poplu u s sliem għadu jgħodd ħafna.
Nuqqas wieħed: is sehem ta’ Malta fid dinja Nistqarr li togħġobni l verżjoni ppubblikata f ’Jannar 1923: “Seddaq il għaqda f ’Malta u s sliem ” għax hi iżjed inklussiva minn “Seddaq il għaqda fil Maltin u s sliem ” L iżjed għal lum fejn għandna bżonn l għaqda u s sliem mhux fost il Maltin biss iżda wkoll bejn il Maltin u l eluf li qed jgħixu fostna minn pajjiżi oħra minn kull kontinent tad dinja
Għandna nmorru lura għal dik il verżjoni? Naħseb li iva. Għandna nikkunsidraw bidla żgħira dwar sehem Malta fid dinja? Imma jekk naħsbu li iva għandna naħsbu sew għax hu innu li serviena tajjeb għal 100 sena bla ma ġġilidna fuqu kif għandna ħabta niġġieldu anke meta nkunu qed naqblu, u innu li kważi kollu kemm hu għadu jgħodd għal lum u għada Favur l għaqda, il paċi u l ġustizzja
L aħħar seba’ kelmiet tal innu huma qawwi jin ħafna Huma dwar li nagħtu s “Saħħa ‘l haddiem”. Jorbtu flimkien l għaqda nazzjonali, il ġustizzja soċjali u s solidarjetá Meta nkitbu dawk il kliem il ħaddiema kienu bla vot u kienu jiġu stmati ta’ lsiera.
Bil kisba tal vot il ħaddiema setghu jivvutaw favur politika fejn il poplu Malti jikseb id dritt li jmexxi lilu nnifsu biex joħloq il ġid u x xogħol Il ħaddiema setgħu jivvutaw favur politika biex jitqassam il ġid u tittejjeb il ħajja tal poplu Malti bis servizzi soċjali, bis sistema pubblika tas saħħa u tal edukazzjoni Fl aħħar vers tal Innu Malti jingħad: “Seddaq il għaqda fil Maltin u s sliem ”
Il Maltin iridu politika favur l għaqda naz zjonali, favur Malta, iridu politiċi onesti, ka paċi u li jpoġġu l ġid tal poplu qabel l interessi personali tagħhom.
Il Maltin iriduna wkoll naħdmu għall paċi Marzu huwa wkoll ix xahar li fih nhar il 31 ta’ Marzu 1979 għalaqna l bażijiet militari f ’ pa jjiżna u ħlifna li ma nħallux lill gżejjer tagħna jintużaw fil gwerer kontra ħaddiehor Aħna kontra l gwerer Għalhekk aħna newtrali biex ma nidħlux f ’al leanzi militari ta’ gwerer kontra oħrajn. Żewġ terzi tal Maltin iriduna nibqgħu nkunu newtrali Tmenin fil mija tal Maltin iriduna nkomplu naħdmu għall paci, għas sliem fil Mediterran. U hekk għandna nkomplu nagħmlu, fost il ġirien tagħna u fid dinja kollha jekk mis sena d dieħla nkunu fil Kunsill tas Sigurtá tal Ġnus Magħquda
Bla prużunzjoni, b’dinjitá, skont kemm nifilħu, bla naraw kbir imma bla ma narmu lilna nfusna, għandna nkomplu nwasslu l mes saġġ tagħna ta’ paċi minflok gwerra, ta’ tfittx ija għall ftehim flok glied Ta’ harsien tal prinċipji tas sovranitá, tal indipendenza nazzjonali u ta’ soluzzjonijiet paċifiċi għat tilwim
Q. I am 79 years old and in the process of selling my home. The house I am purchasing is practically the same price as my home, but it is on one level, which suits me, better Am I still able to invest money in superannuation to use the downsizing strategy as the funds I have available are from a term deposit?
A. . Yes, if you have been living in your own home for over 10 years, then you are able to use the downsizing strategy even though the money you are using are not surplus funds from the change in properties The maximum amount you can invest in super annuation using the downsizing strategy is $300,000 This needs to be done within 90 days of settlement.
Q. My husband passed away three months ago. We were not on a pension as our assets were too high. He left his financial assets to our only daughter as I have more than sufficient financial assets for my needs.
Now that my assets are quite low, am I able to apply for the age pension or would Centrelink still treat the funds that my husband left for my daughter as mine?
A. If your husband left his financial af fairs to your daughter and this was ad dressed in his Will, then Centrelink will not look at you gifting anything to your daugh ter, but as your husband doing so
You should therefore visit a Centrelink office and they will be able to see whether with the remaining assets you are now en titled to a part age pension Centrelink does not treat your home as an asset They may request to see your late husband’s Will
This is a monthly service offered by The Voice of the Maltese in which Marie Louise Muscat from the Fiducian Finan cial Services helps our readers understand the complexities associated with financial planning. If you need more advice send an email to Marie Louise via: maltesevoice@gmail.com.
Q. I have a holiday home that we pur chased in 1983. We purchase this property for $110,000 and now we are looking at selling it for around $700,000. How much capital gains tax will my husband and I have to pay? We have been told that this could be quite signifi cant.
A. Actually, since you purchased this property prior 20 September 1985, you should have no capital gains tax to pay at all, as this property was pur chased prior the time that capital gains tax came out
Q. I have a parcel of shares worth around $20,000 that I wish to gift to my granddaughter as she is turning 21 years of age. I purchased these shares nine years ago for $8000. Will I or will she have to pay the capital gains tax and how much will this be?
A. As you are gifting these shares it is as if you are selling them and the owner will become your granddaughter You will be the one that has to pay capital gains tax
Half of the capital gain will need to be added to your other taxable income The amount of tax that you will pay depends on how much other taxable income you have, and the amount of tax will be at your marginal tax rate
Q My aunt is my grandmother’s carer She is planning to go overseas for six months and has asked if I could take over the care of my grandmother while she is away. Am I able to apply for the carer allowance for my grandmother while my aunt is away?
A. When your aunt goes to report to Cen trelink that for the next six months, she will be overseas, you should go with her and let Centrelink know that you will be taking over caring for your grandmother This should facilitate the transfer from one carer to another
Q. I am 72 and have been asked to do some casual work. This may be five hours per week and sometimes as much as eight hours per week. Am I entitled to the employer super contribution, as this is only casual work?
A Although this is casual work, it will still be treated as taxable income and therefore your employer is obliged to pay 10 5% of Superannuation Guaranteed (SG) contribution into your super fund If you do not have a superannuation fund your employer will be able to set one up for you or you can request to set one up yourself if you already have an account based pension in order to use the same provider
This document contains factual information only and is not intended to provide any rec ommendation or opinion in relation to the topic/s discussed
Fiducian recommends that you seek ad vice from a professional to address any is sues that may be raised by this article
Fiducian accepts no liability for any loss suf fered by anyone who has acted on any in formation in this document
Kevin Rudd was born on 21st Sep tember 1957, the fourth child of Bert and Margaret Rudd, in the suburb of Nambour, part of the well known Sunshine Coast of Queensland He grew up in a 500 acre farm in Eumundi, just a few kilometres further north.
He started schooling at the Eumundi Pub lic School, and unfortunately lost his father in a car accident while still at that school His mother, who had served as a nurse dur ing the war, rejoined that profession and the young Rudd joined a boarding school at Marist Brothers College in Ashgrove, a suburb of Brisbane, for a couple of years
Following that, he spent the rest of his high school years at the Nambour State High School, where he met a certain Wayne Swan who was then the school cap tain and was to become one of his closest colleagues in political life
It wasn’t long before he showed his polit ical interest, joining the Australian Labor Party in 1972 when still 15 years of age He also showed another of his interests, in Asian affairs, by enrolling at the Australian National University in 1977 to follow Asian studies He graduated in 1981 having spe cialised in Chinese history and language, be coming fluent in Mandarin, which served
him well when he was at the top of the Aus tralian government.
Rudd’s personal life was also full, during the same year marrying Thérèse Rein, who was a fellow graduate, and in successive years having three children together: Jessica, Ni cholas and Marcus
Rudd put his Asian skills into good use upon becoming a diplo mat with the Department of Foreign Af fairs He was posted to Stockholm, and then Beijing before returning to Canberra in 1986.
He and his family returned to Queensland, and took leave to work for the Labor Oppo sition leader Wayne Goss who was then con testing the state election the next year
That election was historic, as Labor wrested the state government back from the National Party of Queensland (previously known as Country Party) that had been governing for 32 years, part of which in coalition with the Liberal Party.
Kevin Rudd was appointed the new state premier’s Chief of Staff and Director Gen eral of the Cabinet Office, but he also had an interest in federal politics and was prese lected for Brisbane’s federal seat of Griffith in 1996 following the retirement of the long serving Ben Humphreys He did not win that time, which coincided with the federal baton passing from Labor to John Howard’s Lib erals, but was successful two years later by becoming a member of the House of Repre sentatives, part of the Labor opposition
He was re elected during the elections of 2001 and 2004, where the Labor Party’s fortunes continued to sink while Rudd was increasing his share of the vote in his seat
There was a big shift in 2007, when the tide finally turned and, with Rudd at the helm having defeated Kim Beazley as
leader the year before, the Labor Party won government and Rudd became Prime Min ister, after an electoral campaign that used modern social media to great effect, a self identified label that would not be amiss on an online login screen (kevin07) and a sim ple message that cut through to many (hi, I’m Kevin and I’m here to help)
Despite the clear victory with 83 out of the 150 seats in the House of Representa tives, this government was destined to be tumultuous indeed The main trigger for most shenanigans of this and all Australian governments since then was policy regard ing climate change
Indeed Kevin Rudd signalled immediately that the government he led intended to be at the forefront of global initiatives to fight climate change, by signing Australia to the Kyoto Protocol, a UN agreement for the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions, on the very same day the new government took office, (3rd December 2007) His predecessor, John Howard had refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol
A significant step of reconciliation with the aboriginal community was taken when Kevin Rudd delivered his ‘sorry’ speech on 14th February 2008 in which he apologised for past policies of the Australian govern ment that had a bad effect on indigenous people.
from page 4
Much speculation about whether the PM would actually use the word ‘sorry’ was blown away, when he ac tually used it three times!
The contrast with Howard, who called the apology an ‘empty gesture’ and ‘meaningless’ and who had resisted any semblance of formal contrition on behalf of his government to indigenous people, could not be greater.
A global development that would change the economic outlook of Aus tralia, and the world, was triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, an investment firm in the USA, which had bet significantly on highly lever aged real estate financial instruments
A global financial crisis ensued, and the Rudd government moved quickly to institute significant stimulus spending This remarkably helped avoid recession in this country in the years 2008 2009, al though it did result in a significant increase in the debt level of the country
A sad day transpired on 7th February 2009, when bushfires in Victoria ended up destroying 2000 houses and 4500km2 of land, apart from taking 173 lives This day became known as Black Saturday and was Australia’s deadliest bushfire.
A significant piece of legislation came into effect on 1st January 2010, when the Fair Work Act replaced the Howard govern ment’s Work Choices
This introduced the right of workers lodg ing a claim of unfair dismissal, allowing unions to become parties to an enterprise agreement if they represent at least one worker in a workplace, protections for em ployees exercising legitimate rights and other employee friendly measures
We have however to come back to the topic of Rudd’s very first move, climate change (signing of the Kyoto Protocol) to understand what I think is the defining nar rative of this short prime ministership
Rudd’s intentions were, on the face of it, impeccable and noble He wanted Aus tralia to define a bipartisan policy that en sured Australia played its part in the fight against human induced climate change, so that the policy endures into the future What possibly could go wrong?
In short, everything
During the 2007 election, both Rudd’s La bor Party and John Howard’s Liberal Party proposed a carbon trading scheme; the for mer out of conviction about the reality of climate change and the latter quite reluc tantly and purely in an attempt to stave off an expected electoral loss.
When Rudd’s party won the election, the government soon proposed the Carbon Pol lution Reduction Scheme, built on a cap and trade framework Critics of the legis lation can be divided into those who thought it was too lenient, and those who thought it went too far
The first group were mainly concerned
about the emissions reduction target (5 15% below 2000 levels by 2020) being too low, the granting of rights to pollute and also the provision of free permits to those that polluted the most This included envi ronmental organisations and members of the cross bench.
The second group included climate de niers or climate sceptics, in other words, those who believed that little or nothing ac tually needed to be done (this included a sizeable proportion of the opposition Lib eral National coalition), as well as industry, who were concerned about the risks and potential higher energy costs involved
A first vote was held in the Senate on 13th August 2009 on the CPRS, with all non government senators being against, and the measure being blocked
Rudd then was in a fix He had two courses of action that could have been taken: (a) negotiate with the then leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, in an at tempt to find common ground, with the outcome likely being watered down provi sions but ones that could be presented as bi partisan, and pass the Senate vote, or (b) negotiate with the leader of Greens Party and cross bench with the outcome likely being a proposed higher emissions reduc tion target and less concessions
The snag with this approach was that the parliamentary numbers wouldn’t stack up as the coalition would not tolerate an even stronger scheme than the one they just re jected Rudd, understandably I would think, chose the former route.
He negotiated with Turnbull an increase in compensation for industries that were polluters, especially heavy industry This allowed Turnbull the cover to announce that the Coalition’s policy would now change to support Labor ’s CPRS vote, and all hell broke loose
The climate sceptic wing of the Liberal Party revolted, and forced a leadership bal lot, resulting in Tony Abbott replacing Mal colm Turnbull as leader of the Liberals He promptly reversed the coalition’s support for the CPRS
Therefore, when the CPRS legislation
came up a second time for a vote, it was turned down again, with just two members of the non govern ment senators crossing the floor.
This second rejection is legally considered a trigger for a possible double dissolution election, in which all members of parliament of both chambers are up for election at the same time, and despite many expecting Kevin Rudd to call this election to break the deadlock of this important legislation, he opted not to do
Furthermore, on 27 April 2010, the PM stated that the Government had decided to delay the CPRS legisla tion for a period of three years, based on a lack of support for the scheme and a lack of clarity of what other major country emitters were doing I think it is fair to say that this deci sion had a significant negative impact upon community support for Rudd and his party, some of which is still felt today
Rudd never recovered from this debacle.
On 24th June 2010, the Deputy Prime Min ister, Julia Gillard requested a spill of the leadership resulting her taking over the leadership of the party to become Prime Minister. Stories started to emerge about previously decisions being too centralised into a small ‘kitchen cabinet’ that included Rudd’s high school friend Wayne Swan, then the Treasurer, and an excessive focus on short life cycle media events.
The Labor Party was narrowly returned to office with Gillard as PM, and in 2011 managed to pass another emissions trading scheme called the Clean Energy Bill that was heavily criticised by the Opposition for its initial phase, which resembled a carbon tax, which Gillard had vowed she would not implement during the election
Although Rudd was now a backbencher, he started being accused of leaking against the government, and with the government popularity tanking, on 27 June 2013 Gillard herself announced a ballot for the leader ship and Rudd was re elected as leader of the Labor Party to become PM. Polls ini tially were favourable, but with election closing in support started declining again
The subsequent election on 7th September returned the Liberal National Coalition of Tony Abbott to power, vowing to reverse the climate policies of the Labor Party This to ing and fro ing of climate policy to this day, has become known as the climate wars.
On 22nd November 2013 Rudd resigned from parliament He is still active as a polit ical commentator, holds academic positions at Harvard University and the Uni versity of Chicago and sits on the boards of the Inde pendent Commission on Multilateralism, Sanitation and Water for All, the Interna tional Peace Institute and the Asia Society
*In the next issue, we feature John Chris tian Watson, the third Prime Minister of Australia No Labour leader was more skilled in relating harmoniously with all el ements of the party
Ourchoice for the personality of the month Miriam Friggieri, resonates with what has been happening in the Maltese community of NSW for the last decade. The silent fusion of the generations. Miriam has made a huge impact, and with her managerial skills, cheerful personality, and enthusiasm is guiding the MCC through the 21st century.
Miriam Friggieri is the first Australian born female to lead the MCC of NSW Apart from being MCC Pres ident, she is also the Secretary for the Maltese Past Pupils and Friends of Don Bosco NSW, the Treasurer for The Friends of Providence House and Vice President for the Fed eration of Maltese Language Schools
In 2017, with more time on her hands following retirement, Miriam was coaxed into joining the Maltese Cultural Association (MCA) committee In time she took on the role of Treasurer and also as an MCA delegate to the Maltese Community Council of NSW (MCC), holding these positions for about three years In 2018 she took on the role of MCC Secretary, holding that po sition until being nominated and accepting the role of MCC Pres ident in February three years later, in 2021
As a second generation Maltese, Miriam told The Voice that she is very proud to be working with the Maltese Community “The Maltese Community Council is the official umbrella body of Maltese Associations in NSW We bring together most of the legally constituted Maltese associations working and col laborating with the aim of promoting the Maltese identity, cul ture, heritage and language
Talking about the MCC of NSW, she said it was established in 1967 “I pay my respects to the pioneers of that time and the various leaders, past and present, who have looked after the community since, but we have to face the reality that change is inevitable The needs of the community have changed over time, and we are doing our best to cater for Maltese seniors whilst seeking ways to involve more second and third generation Maltese who are interested in continuing our Maltese legacies ”
Our community leaders are mostly retired, while others are still actively working, so how does she reconcile both needs?
Miriam said that more recently, the MCC committee recognised the need to provide opportunities for association delegates who work or study during the day to be able to participate in meetings and be involved in planning activities to provide social, cultural, recreational, welfare and advocacy support to the Maltese com munity, so monthly meetings were moved to weekday evenings
The MCC also provides the option of joining meetings via Zoom, which still allows involvement by any delegate who cannot attend in person “Without the participation of those who can carry on
the work of the MCC for, say, the next ten twenty years and be yond, then surely we will see our organisation and others fold and disappear” Miriam Friggieri said
Last year, Miriam took on the responsibility for the Maltese Lan guage School administration whilst the school was transitioning to providing lessons fully online another sign of the times; “the school would not have survived if we did not make this change This year Lisa Bright was appointed to the role of administrator, and the school continues to flourish,” she told us
Miriam currently also hosts and co ordinates the weekly radio programme for the MCC, which airs on 2GLF 89.3FM every Sun day at 11am “There is a very hard working radio team of volun teers who just love contributing segments for the enjoyment of listeners each week ”
Miriam was born in Liverpool Hospital, NSW; her father Roger was from Marsa and her mother, Carmen from Valletta. She has two older brothers, Charles and Mario, both born in Marsa and a younger brother, Alexander, born in Parramatta Her parents and older brothers arrived in Sydney on MS Aurelia on the October long weekend in 1959
For her first three years, home was a converted garage in the backyard of a Maltese family in Wentworthville Her earliest mem ory is being in the cabin of the removalist truck with mum and dad, while her two older brothers were in the back of the truck with the furniture, as they moved to their new fibro home in South Went worthville. This location today is known as Greystanes.
*Continued from page 6
Miriam Friggieri attended schools at St Simon Stock, Ringrose Public and then Holroyd High Her first job was as a casual cashier at Red Circle, Merrylands a hard ware store in the Nock and Kirby group Back then; her goal was to become a sec ondary school teacher She enrolled at Mac quarie University, receiving a meagre NSW Education Department scholarship, but it was the first year that teachers would not be bonded, so there was no guarantee of a teaching role being available after gradua tion due to an oversupply in this profession
It was then that Miriam dropped out of uni and set her sights on a career in retail man agement She completed the Retail Man agement Certificate course at Granville TAFE in 1984 and in 1991 received the Re tail Traders Advanced Certificate.
She held various minor management roles in a number of Nock and Kirby stores and was seconded to a store refurbishment team before being appointed as an Assistant Store Manager and a few years later as Store Manager She held this position for a number of years at seven different stores Later Miriam was promoted to BBC Head Office as a Group Product Manager, just ahead of the takeover of Burns Philp by Howard Smith Limited, which continued to trade as BBC Hardware and Hardware house During this time Miriam returned to TAFE at Wetherill Park and completed the Advanced Management Certificate, with distinction in 1994
At various times she was seconded to a number of special projects while she pro gressed through different roles, as NSW Quality Assurance Manager, National
Training Officer and her final role as the NSW Inventory Manager
After 24 years, Miriam accepted a redun dancy following the hostile takeover by Wesfarmers (the owner of Bunnings), and later embarked on a new career with CSR Gyprock & Fibre Cement in various na tional purchasing roles
After nearly 15 years, she was provided with another redundancy in 2017 and de cided to retire from the workforce
Miriam lost her dad in October 2010 and
her mum in the very early days of 2014 “I miss them dearly and will always be grate ful that they chose to immigrate to Aus tralia to raise their family in the ‘lucky’ country ”
In 2014 Miriam joined the church choir at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Greystanes That same year was also the last time she visited Malta. When she returned in Janu ary 2015, she joined the MCA Choir and there started her involvement in the Mal tese community in NSW
During a recent visit to Malta and Gozo to attend the Annual Meeting of the Council of Maltese Living Abroad (CMLA), I was honoured to have an audience with Gozitan Bishop Anton Teuma at the Curia in the Gozitan capital, Victoria He was genuinely interested in hearing about all the concerns the Maltese Community of Sydney has due to the lack of Mal tese speaking priests who can minister to their needs, especially for the ageing migrants who sometimes feel forgotten The
Bishop is aware that there is only one work ing priest to cover the whole Sydney area, namely, Fr Tarcisio Micallef, aged 82 Bishop Teuma lived and worked in Sydney some thirty years ago and understands and knows first hand that our needs are gen uine I explained to him that in my role as a Welfare/Community worker with the MCC, I get several requests about how we can get a Maltese priest to serve our spiritual needs.
It is not only the elderly Maltese but also those in their late 50s and 60s who wish to hear Mass and receive the sacraments in their native language.
Bishop Teuma said he was willing to liaise with the NSW community in the hope that by working together and looking at different options, a way forward could be found, a solution for our ageing Maltese Community, the majority of whom live in the western suburbs of the Greater Sydney area that stretches up to the Central Coast and the Illawarra region in the south
As one of the representatives of the CMLA for NSW, and in my role as the Welfare/Community Worker with the Maltese Community Council of NSW, I look forward to working with Bishop Teuma and the leaders of the Maltese community in Sydney to find a lasting solution for us all
MarisaPrevitera
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 flip book 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
F Zammit from Albion Park NSW writes:
Iwould like to acknowledge that I was present at the G C F C C on Thursday 27 October 2022 when a new concept was introduced “Maltese Headquarters NSW & Friends”
The President Mr Parnis clearly ex plained that this group does not affect the association known as the George Cross Falcons Community Centre Inc as regis tered with the NSW Fair Trading for some time now. We also like to state that we are proud of Cringila the Maltese hub since 1951
The idea behind this name is to promote networking among numerous groups not necessarily only those of Maltese Origin The concept will always be to support those who asked for help Recently this group signed a commitment with the Illawarra Catholic Bishop to re introduce the Festa in Warrawong on Sun day 10 September 2023.
In regards to the letter to The Voice by M Marks from Windang, I hope this write up clears up any confusion I was also there for the AGM of the As
Joseph Cass from Fairfield, Victoria writes:
So we hear that Covid 19 is still around and active, and we must remain vigi lant Does it mean that we have to go back to the obligatory restrictions we had dur ing the worst of the pandemic, or do we have a choice now?
Maybe one should not participate in ac tivities that could present a high risk of in fection All well and good However, while we remain vigilant,we need to move forward, but please, no more blanked re strictions
sociation later in the afternoon with the members of the Association when infor mation was provided on how well the GCFCC is progressing with some eight programs and supporting the wider Com munity
In conclusion, I would just like to reiter ate that thanks to Mr Louis Parnis over the last 18 years, and his hard working com mittee, our Community Centre in Cringila is in a great position to continue to pro mote our Maltese culture as well as to in vite other communities to share our goodwill
A.Pace minn Toongabbie NSW jikteb:
Qrajt b’interess dak li qalilna Guze Camilleri fil paġna tal aħbarijiet bil Malti taħt ir ras “Riforma”. Veru li l CMLA ilu li twaqqaf 12 il sena iżda ma tistax tqabbel l emigrazzjoni permanenti tal ħamsinijiet ma’ dik tal lum.
Fil maġġoranza tagħhom dawk li gew l Awstralja fiż żmienijiet mgħoddija, illum waslu f ’etá venerabbli u wħud minnhom forsi wkoll lejn tmiem ħajjithom, u allura għandhom bżonn ferm aktar attenzjoni minn dawk li jmorru l Erwopa għal ftit gimgħat/xhur
Il kelma diaspora mhix preċiża biex tfisser sewwa s sitwazzjoni tagħna Aħna ssetiljajna permanentement u waqqafna Malta kull fejn morna, għalhekk, kif tagħmlu sewwa ta’ The Voice of the Mal tese għandna nagħmlu ferm aktar użu mill frażi Greater Malta u mhux nużaw il kelma diaspora
Hu sewwa li nagħmlu użu mit talenti ta’ uliedna izda mhux ningassaw jew inwar rbu l ħtiġijiet li għad għandhom ix xjuħ Maltin fl Awstralja, fil Kanada, u f ’pajjiżi oħra fejn kienu emigraw
A Zammit minn Redfern NSW jikteb:
Il membri tas socjeta Missjunarja Maltija ta’ San Pawl (MSSP) diġá kell hom jitilqu mill parroċċa ta’ Horsley Park u wara 30 sena anke mill La Valette fi Blacktown. Issa sirt naf li se jitilqu wkoll mill parroċċa li kellhom f ’Toronto, il Kanada.
Tkun telfa traġika jekk jitilqu wkoll minn NSW u nitilfu il ġawhra li għandna f ’ Mons Depiro House fi Stanley Street East Sydney fejn għandna lil Fr Tarcisju li tant jaħdem għall komunitá Maltija
G re a t e r M a l t a a k t a r m i l l i D i a s p o r a
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Opposition Whip in the NSW Legislative Council o ice.bu igieg@parliament.nsw.gov.au
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Authorised by Mark Bu igieg MLC. Funded using Parliamentary entitlements.
Cittadella in Gozo, one of the jewels in the crown of the Maltese islands, has been voted as the Public Choice Award in the prestigious Re gioStars Award 2022 competition organ ised by the European Commission since 2008, following the Rehabilitation and Restoration project on the ancient Gozitan fortress
The Cittadella was first shortlisted among 300 similar projects as best practice exam ples projects co financed from European funds and then got the final nod at a cere mony in Portugal
The awards have become Europe’s label of excellence for EU funded projects under the Cohesion Policy that demon strate innovative and inclusive approaches to regional development.
Presenting the prize, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said: “Winners have provided inspiring best practices over the past 15 years and showed the breadth, scope and innovative ness of EU funded projects in creating jobs and improving citizens’ lives. These are best practices that we will continue to nourish and support.”
The Cittadella project involved the restoration and rehabilitation of internal structures in the walls of the ancient and fortified city
with an investment of €14 5 million
Announcing the award, the Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri described it as an honour for Gozo and the Maltese nation He thanked the team that worked tirelessly for this result and contributed to obtaining this success for Malta and Gozo
The Parliamentary Secretary for Euro pean Funds, Chris Bonett, expressed his satisfaction as this is the first project fi nanced by European funds to have won the Regiostars Award
He pointed out that the project was car ried out at an investment of over €14 mil lion, €12 million of which camefrom the European Fund for Regional Develop ment
The Parliamentary Secretary continued to say: “This is positive news that makes us more determined to keep carrying out more projects using European funds, from which we can all benefit,” .
On 11th November, Armistice Day or Re membrance Day, mem bers of the Maltese RSL NSW Sub Branch, at the eleventh hour paid their respects to The Fallen by placing a posy of flowers and reciting the Ode in a simple cere mony at the Bi Centennial Mon ument, Civic Park Pendle Hill.
Those taking part included Al fred Carabott, Alfred Aquilina, Mario and Sandra Farrugia and Patrick Bartolo
On the same day and at the same time, in remembrance of the An zacs and in the presence of the
centre's president Louis Parnis and a number of members, on be half of the MRSL Charlie Attard placed a posy of flowers at the Maltese Anzacs Monument at the George Cross Falcons Community Centre in Cringila Then on Sunday, 13th November the culmination of Re membrance Serv ices was celebrated at the St Paul's Chapel in Stanley Street East Sydney when the MRSL Sub Branch mem bers attended the Remembrance Mass that was offered by
Several members, wearing their medals, were in atten dance. So too were a good number of the parishioners They all joined together in prayer.
It was a moving and digni fied service in honour of The Fallen as well as all Anzacs
At the beginning of the Serv ice, Charles Mifsud thanked Fr Tarcisio for celebrating holy mass and once again graciously made the beauti ful Chapel available to the MRSL to commemorate this Service At the end of the ceremony, all present at the service enjoyed morning tea in the courtyard
In November, Gaming industry opera tors met in Malta for the eighth edition of Festival Sigma Europe, one of the largest fairs in the world that attracted 25,000 delegates and 1,000 exhibitors from the four corners of the world
At the eighth edition of Festival Sigma Eu rope, Prime Minister Robert Abela stated last year the gaming industry propagated €1,000 million to the country's economy. By this mid year, through the 300 gaming com panies that employ 10,000, the industry had already generated €712 million into the country's economy, which is a 10% eco nomic growth, an increase of €90 million compared to the same period last year
He said he remained firm in his belief that investment is also being made in new sec tors Thousands of career opportunities are created for youths, and it is important to continue along this path
He pointed out that the Malta Government is the only one in Europe that has not re quested companies to reduce their energy consumption because of the current energy crisis
Malta is regarded as the world's gaming pilgrimage. The industry attracts the best talent in the sector and creates new eco nomic niches that motivate youths The founder of Sigma Europe, Eman Pulis, said that the demand for employees in the sector remains strong. He estimates that the indus try needs 800 new employees annually
Pulis said that the country works not just on gaming but also on other emerging sec tors such as medical technology, frontier technology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, metaverse, and digital market ing
Referring to the positive effect of Sigma Europe on the tourist sector, Pulis also spoke about what he termed as Malta's se
Moody’s rating agency im proved the Maltese econ omy from a negative to a stable one and confirmed it at A2 rating
Moody’s provided three rea sons for the way it changed its views on the local economy: the economy’s diversification lead ing to its growth despite the global situation; the strengthen ing of the financial situation in the wake of the energy situation and and Malta’s removal from FATF’s Grey List
Moody’s also predicts that the
Maltese economy will increase by 6% this year, remarking that the domestic demand and export services increase assisted the country to recover from the pan demic
In his reaction, Prime Minister Robert Abela remarked that Moody’s believes diversifica tion of the economy would con tinue to grow and public finances to continue to improve even as the Government contin ues to help families and busi nesses.
Figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) show that during the first ten months of the year Malta registered a deficit of just over €613 million. Compared to the same ten month period last year, the deficit dropped by over 41% after the country registered an increase in income from economic activity.
The latest figures about the country’s financial situation show that during the first ten months of the year, the consolidated fund showed a financial deficit of just over €613 million. Compared to the same period last year, the deficit was reduced by more than €436 million, being 41 6%
Prime Minister (second right) during the Gaming industry 8th Festival Sigma Europe
cret to attracting new industries He said that companies attend the fair and realise the high level of cooperation between them, as although technically they are com peting, they also help each other out, a trait only found in Malta
December 13 marks the 48th Anniversary of Malta’s Republic Day (Jum ir Repubblika), the day on 1974 when the constitution of Malta was revised and after 174 years the island was transformed into a republic, effectively abolish ing the role of the British monarchy in the country and Sir Anthony Mamo was named as the State’s first President
The country it's still a part of the British Commonwealth, however it is now its own re public and proudly stands on its own two feet It is also a fully fledged member of the European Union
The day is celebrated with great pomp, especially in the country’s capital, Valletta, while and Republic Day events are organised annually by the
National Festivities Commit tee
One of the most important activities on this day is the presentation of awards by the President of Malta to those who have served Malta in the military/political sphere and public figures who are consid ered to be effective representa tives of the country
Another important even is the wreath laying ceremony that is held at the Republic Day Mon ument in Marsa, and a tradi tional Trooping the Colour ceremony and parade takes place in St. George’s Square in Valletta, where the Presidential Colour is trooped through the ranks of the Armed Forces of Malta The salute is taken by the President of Malta George Vella
Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne has been appointed Vice Chairman of the Global Leaders Group on antimicrobial resistance
The World Health Organisation’s regional director, Hans Kluge, con gratulated Dr Fearne for the post, and said he looks forward to work with him to address the antimicro bial resistance issue
While he was addressing the 7th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean and the 4thMinis terial meeting of the Southern Mediterranean countries in Barcelona, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg maintained that it was essential for Mediterranean coun tries to stay united to face the chal lenges in the region He said that we could not work in isolation to solve collec tive problems," the Minister said
He pointed out that Malta would continue to support every effort made by the Union for the Mediterranean so that everyone contributes and assists in finding solutions during this dif ficult time that the region is going through.
He also reiterated that Malta would continue to push forward the need for more dialogue for peace and stability to reign in the region
Minister Borg also spoke, among others, about the importance of food security and the impact of the increase in prices in the region, a phenomenon one cannot ignore He stated
European Union energy ministers including Malta, convened for an Extraordinary En ergy Council in Brussels where they discussed proposals for three emergency regulations on establishing a solidarity mechanism on energy,
an easier renewable permitting process, and a market correction mechanism for gas prices, also known as a gas price cap.
In the last European Council Prime Min isters from 16 EU member states had called on the European Commission to issue a proposal allowing for lower and stable gas prices across the bloc.
However, during the current meeting, there was no agreement on that proposal, as due to several reservations it was not considered favourably by most EU member states Malta is among the countries that disagree ing with this proposal with Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Dalli saying said that while Malta agreed with the proposals for energy solidarity and easier permitting process for renewables, it cannot agree with the way the market correction mechanism is being proposed.
She explained that the way the market cor rection mechanism was proposed it neither tackles the need for stabilisation of gas prices nor ensures an implementable mech anism that can truly assist member states deal with gas prices
The Minister maintained that unfortu nately, the proposal “does not address our
concerns and will not be effective in con trolling the exorbitant gas prices used for electricity production".
As a result, the EU energy ministers have decided to continue the negotiations in the coming days to reach agreement on solutions that can make a difference in gas prices
that all countries needed to think of tangible solutions to address this crisis
He mentioned what Malta is doing so the Mal tese and Gozitan people experience the most negligible impact possible, particularly in the en ergy sector He also spoke about climate change, youth and women and the need for more connec tivity between the Mediterranean countries.
In the margins of this meeting, Minister Ian Borg had bilateral meetings with the Secretary General of the Union, Nasser Kamel and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Libya, Najla El Mangoush, Lebanon's Abdallah Bou Habib and Morocco's Nasser Bourita
Minister Ian Borg also visited Vatican City, where he had an audience with Pope Francis, who recalled his recent visit to Malta and told the Minister that his visit to Malta reminded him of the kindness of the Maltese.
They also discussed the ongoing bilateral work between the two states and Malta’s preparation for the United Nations Security Council, aiming to continue being an agent of peace and stability worldwide
The Minister met the Secretary of State Car dinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. They discussed the work needed to be done between the two foreign affairs offices to set up a joint com mission to discuss the management of the sede owned lands in Malta Immigration in the Mediterranean, Libya's situation and the conflict between Ukraine and Russia were also on the agenda
Unemployment has continued to de crease during the past year and by the end of October stood at 984, which is 270 less than October last year It was the fifth consecutive month from June to October, that it remained under the 1,000 mark
On a period of twelve months, persons seeking work generally decreased in all cat egories, with those registering for work for more than a year decreased by half
’dawn l aħħar jiem il midja lokali ta t i m p o r ta n za k b i ra l i l l ħ a t r i e t t a l Ku m m i s s a r j u g ħ a l l I s t a n d a rd s fil Ħajja Pubblika u tal Ombudsman, u l emenda li l Gvern qed jipproponi li tidħol fil liġi li tipproteġi lil dawk, fosthom l omm
m i l l i j i s t g ħ u j i tt e ħ d u p a s s i ko n t ra ta g ħ h o m j e k k b i ex i s a l va w i l ħ a j j a t a l o m m j e w b i ex j i ġ i e v i t a t l i d i n t i tq i e g ħ e d f ’p e r i k l u g rav i ta ’ s a ħ ħ a d a n i wa s s l u l i ta r b i j a f i l ġ u f t i t l ef ħ a j j i t h a
Id diskussjoni dwar il liġi li tipproteġi lill ommijiet u lit tibba nbdiet żmien ilu, meta l Gvern kien ħabbar l inten zjoni tiegħu li jressaq emenda bħal din Imma din ħraxet aktar meta fil fatt li l emenda ġiet ippreżentata fil Parlament
Kif kien mistenni dawk ta’ kontra kull kwalità’ ta’ abort, mal ewwel ittimbraw l emenda bħal tbexxieq tal bieb għall abort, minkejja li l Gvern għamilha ċara li kellu l ebda ħsieb li jdaħħal l abort
Kien hemm min insista, li għal snin twal ma kien hemm l ebda mara li tilfet ħajjitha minħabba t tqala billi t tobba u l ispeċjal isti Maltin dejjem ħadu passi biex isalvaw l omm meta nqalgħu każijiet bħal dawn
Iżda t tweġiba għal dan ir raġu nar kienet li għalkemm dan kien qed isir, dawk involuti kienu jafu li qed jieħdu sogru għax dejjem kienu fil periklu li kemm it tobba, kif ukoll l omm involuta jittieħdu l Qorti. Kien ifisser ukoll li t tobba mhux biss jipperikolaw li jmorru l ħabs, imma wkoll li ji tilfu l warrant u ma jkunux jistgħu jaħdmu aktar bħala tobba L omm setgħet tlaqqat tliet snin ħabs S’issa, l Oppożizzjoni jidher li ma ħadet l ebda pożizzjoni għax xtaqet aktar det talji, għalkemm hemm min qed jgħid li dan qed isir biex din tilħaq tiżen ftit x’inhi l fehma pubblika
Min naħa tiegħu waqt iċ ċelebrazzjoni djoċesana tal festa liturġika ta’ Kristu Re l Arċisqof qal li bħalissa s soċjetà qegħda f ’mument importanti għax il Gvern se jressaq quddiem il Parlament leġislazzjoni li se taffettwa lil ħafna
Din se toffri serħan il moħħ għall mara u hija kelma ċara, preċiża u ta komfort li se ssarraf f ’kontribut ta ġid.
Huwa tenna li din se toffri parametri ta’ rispett tal ħajja kif ukoll tal umanità tal bniedem
Din il liġi se tkun ukoll ta’ “Serħan il moħħ għat tobba iżda rridu nkunu kawti għax jekk inbexxqu l bieb tal abort inkunu għamilna għażla ħażina Iżda din il liġi l ġdida għandha tkun ta’ kontribut ta’ ġid fil konfront tal mara.”
Jekk wieħed jimxi ma’ stħarriġ li qed tagħmel The Times (fl istampa xellug)) dwar din l emenda jidher li l Maltin huma favuriha, għax bejn dawk li jaqblu u dawk li jgħidu li mhux biss jaqblu, imma għandu jsir iktar minn hekk, il figura titla’ għal 76%, filwaqt li 22% biss huma kontra
Qabel nagħlaq dwar din il materja waslet l aħbar li l Grupp Parlamentari tal Partit Nazzjonalista fl aħħar ħareġ il pożizzjoni tiegħu dwar l emendi li ressaq
B'reazzjoni l Partit Laburista qal li dak li qal Bernard Grech u l Partit Naz zjonalista mhux ibbażat fuq il fatti u xli hom li qed jippruvaw jiżgwida u jbeżżgħu b’dak li mhux minnu.
"F’kull test li jkollu quddiemu Bernard Grech jagħżel il logħba tal partiġjaniżmu politiku," qal il PL.
L istqarrija tisħaq li l għan tal abbozz hu li tkun iċċarata l pożizzjoni legali tat tabib u tal omm f'ċirkostanzi fejn it tqala twas sal biex l omm tbati minn kumplikazzjoni medika li tkun tista' tqegħdilha ħajjitha f'riskju jew saħħitha f'periklu gravi
Insista li fil liġijiet qed issir emenda waħda biss, li tiċċara li meta l professjon isti mediċi jaqblu li t tqala għandha tkun itterminata minħabba kumplikazzjoni
medika li tkun tista' tqiegħed ħajjet l omm f'riskju jew saħħa ta’ periklu gravi, it ter minazzjoni ma titqiesx bħala reat taħt l ar tikoli 241(2) jew 243 tal istess Kodiċi Kriminali.
"Li jfisser ukoll li l artikoli li diġà jeżistu fil Kodiċi Kriminali dwar l abort se jibqgħu hemm. Hija wkoll emenda li tafda f ’idejn il professjonisti mediċi Din hi kwistjoni li saħansitra fl aħħar xhur tqan qlet mit tobba stess," insista l Partit Laburista
Issa nistennew x’se jingħad u jiġri fil Par lament meta tiġi diskussa din l emenda Sintendi l Gvern bil maġġoranza kbira li għandu jista’ jgħaddi din l emenda bla xkiel, iżda jista’ jkun ukoll jaċċetta li jsir xi tibdil fiha
il Gvern Il Partit Nazzjonalista qal li l ab bozz li ressaq il Gvern kien se jkun qed jin troduċi l abort f'Malta u għalhekk il PN ma jista' qatt ikun favur tiegħu.
Madanakollu, il Grupp Parlamentari għaraf il bżonn li l liġijiet ta’ Malta joffru ċertezza legali u protezzjoni għan nisa tqal, it trabi fil ġuf u l professjonisti fil qasam tas saħħa f ’każ ta’ meta jkun meħtieġ intervent biex tiġi salvata l ħajja tal omm li tkun tinsab f ’periklu ċar Għalhekk il Grupp Parlamentari esprima sodisfazzjon għall fatt li l proposta mressqa minn 81 akkademiku u pro fessjonist tirrifletti l pożizzjoni tal PN dwar kif il Kodiċi Kriminali għandu jiġi emendat biex jintlaħaq dan l għan bla ma jiġi introdott l abort f ’pajjiżna
"Nistennew li l Gvern jagħti widen għal dak li qiegħed jgħid l Partit Nazzjonalista bl appoġġ sħiħ tal akkademiċi u l pro fessjonisti Maltin. Filwaqt li Robert Abela jrid idaħħal l abort, il Partit Nazzjonalista se jibqa’ l unika forza politika favur il ħajja f ’pajjiżna," qal il Partit Nazzjonal ista
Ifisser li fejn qabel kien il Gvern li jagħmel dawn il ħatriet, issa l Gvern irid l appoġġ tal inqas parti mill Op pożizzjoni għax waħdu m’għandux maġġoranza ta’ żewġ terzi
Jidher li dan l aħħar saru xi taħditiet bejn il Gvern u l Oppożizzjoni fejn deher li kien hemm qbil bejn iż żewġ naħat ħalli jiġu nnominati l eks Prim ImħaIlef Joseph Azzopardi għal Kummissarju għall Istandards u l eks Imħallef Joseph Zammit McK eon, bħala Ombudsman
Bdew jidher li l Partit Nazzjonalista qabel mal ħatra ta’ Zammit McKeon imma mhux ma’ Azzopardi
Il Kummissarju għall Istandards huwa fdat biex jinvestiga lmenti li jsiru dwar il Membri Parlamentari taż żewġ naħat tal Kamra, inkluż il Prim Ministru, il Ministri u s Segretarji Parlamentari
Hawn bdew il battibekki bejn iż żewġ naħat, bil Prim Ministru jixli lill Kap tal Oppożizzjoni li kien bidel dak li kien qal meta saru t taħditiet bejniethom għax kien sar qbil Imma l Partit Nazzjonalista qal li l Oppożizzjoni qatt ma kienet qablet mal ħatra ta’ Azzopardi bħala Kummissarju tal istandards, għalkemm taqbel ma’ ta’ Zammit McKeon bħala Ombudsman.
L Oppożizzjoni kkrritkat ukoll lill Gvern li qatgħa barra l possibbiltà li l kariga ta’ Kummissarju tal Istandards tingħata lil xi membru parlamentari
Dan l aħħar kumment ġab diversi oħrajn minn osservaturi politiċi li sostnew li kariga bħal dik fejn min ikun kummissarju ried jinvestiga membri parlamentari, ma kienx jaqbel li tingħata lil politiku attiv għax jistgħu jingħataw interpretazzjonijiet politika
Meta ħareġ ċar li l Oppożizzjoni se tibqa’ toġġezzjona għal Azzopardi, il Prim Min istru qal li xorta se jipproponi ż żewġ ħa triet fil Parlament u jekk l Oppożizzjoni ma taċċettax lil Azzopardi, kien iressaq il mekkaniżmu li permezz tiegħu l ħatra ssir permezz ta’ maġġoranza sempliċi Għal hekk il Gvern, b’maġġoranza ta’disa’ siġġi jiet, ikun jista’ japprova l ħatra.
Din tal ħatriet permezz ta’ tliet terzi tal Parlament (qabel il ħatriet kienu jsiru b’ maġġoranza sempliċi fil każ tal President ta’ Malta u oħrajn direttament mill Gvern) kien ħareġ biha l eks Kap tal PN Simon Busuttil meta kien kap tal Oppożizzjoni Dakinhar kien ippropona mekkaniżmu simili u ssuġġerixxa li jekk isiru żewġ votazzjonijiet fil Parlament u ma jintlaħqux iż żewġ terzi fit tielet votazzjoni l ħatra ssir b’maġġoranza sempliċi.... xi ħaġa li ma ssemmietx aktar mill Partit Nazzjonalista
It tħabbir ta’ dan il mekkaniżmu ġab reaz zjoni mmedjata min naħa tal PN li qal li dak kien anti demokratiku u irresponsabbli maħ sub biex ikisser l istituzzjoni tal Kummis sarju għall Istandards fil Ħajja Pubblika
Il Partit Nazzjonalista jinsisti li d de ċiżjoni dwar il ħatra ta’ Kummissarju għall Istandards m’għandhiex issir mill Gvern bis saħħa tal maġġoranza iżda bi qbil bejn iż żewġ naħat tal Kamra
Fi stqarrija qalu li Robert Abela jrid li jkun hu waħdu li jiddeċiedi min għandu jkun li jinvestigah f ’każ ta’ lment dwaru jew dwar wieħed minn dawk fdati minnu.
Fi stqarrija, il Partit Laburista qal li l Op pożizzjoni għandha kull ċans li l pajjiż ikollu Kummissarju għall Istandards maħtur b’żewġ terzi bl iktar mod immedjat, u li biex dan isir, il Kap tal Oppożizzjoni jżomm mal kelma li ta u jappoġġja l mozzjoni mressqa mill Prim Ministru fil Parlament.
Il Partit Laburista qal li sal lum l Op pożizzjoni għadha ma tatx raġuni valida għaliex mhux se tagħmel hekk.
Kompla jingħad li għalhekk l Oppożiz zjoni ma tantx tista’ titkellem dwar de mokrazija, meta għaliha d demokrazija
tfisser li jew tgħaddi tal minoranza jew ma jsir xejn.
Kienu diversi kummentaturi li għamlu l istess rimarka tal Partit Laburista, jiġifieri li l Kap tal Oppożizzjoni ma ġab l ebda raġuni għaliex kien qed joġġezzjona għall ħatra ta’ Azzopardi.
F’intervista fil programm Xtra fuq TVM, meta mistoqsi għaliex il PN mhux jaċċetta n nomina ta’ Azzopardi u hu favur eks Imħallef ieħor għal kariga ta’ Ombudsman, Il Kap tal PN Bernard Grech qal biss li kien kontra n nomina tal Gvern “U aħna għandna raġunijiet tagħna,” qal, bla baqa’ ma qalx x’inhuma dawn ir raġunijiet Sadanittant, issa l Prim Ministru ressaq mozzjoni fil Parlament għal mekkaniżmu magħruf bħala anti deadlock f'każ li kariga kostituzzjonali li suppost timtela' bl ap provazzjoni taż żewġ terzi tal Parlament, ma tkunx tista' timtela' għax ma jkunx hemm qbil bejn il Gvern u l Oppożizzjoni Fi stqarrija l Prim Ministru qal li kienet ix xewqa tiegħu li karigi bħal dawn jimtlew bl approvazzjoni taż żewġ terzi tal Kamra tar Rappreżentanti u kien għalhekk ukoll li ressaq ’il quddiem nomini ta’ nies ta’ ħila u integrità għall karigi msemmija Żied jgħid li l Gvern “jemmen li fiċ ċirkostanzi preżenti s sens komun għandu jwassal biex ma jintużax dan il mekka niżmu, għaliex il Kap tal Oppożizzjoni diġà rrikonoxxa li l isem propost għall Kummissarju għall Istandards huwa wieħ ed idoneju tant li għadu jaqbel li jista’ jservi fi rwol Kostituzzjonali ieħor.
“Għalhekk, il Kap tal Oppożizzjoni u l Oppożizzjoni jistgħu liberament jivvutaw favur in nomina tiegħu kif kien oriġinarja ment maqbul mal Prim Ministru,” temm jgħid il PM fl istqarrija
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told world leaders that Aus tralian food exports could help avert global famine and declared the country's prospects as a green energy giant will prove decisive in the shift to a low carbon future.
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Ze lensky warned G20 leaders Russia was using energy supplies as "a weapon" and threatening global famine, Mr Albanese said Australian agricultural exports could ease rising food insecurity
Acrackdown on Australia's booming buy now, pay later (BNPL) is coming, and it's set to change the way customers use the services forever.
Around 20 BNPL providers operate in Australia, including well known brands Afterpay and Zip. They allow customers to defer payments on everything from clothes to utility bills and even renova tions
It's a rapidly growing industry, with the number of BNPL accounts having surged from five million to seven million over the past financial year
It's also one that's received criticism, par ticularly from consumer advocates who say it's effectively a credit product but is not treated like one.
But that could soon change, with the gov ernment now inviting discussion on three proposed options for reform the toughest being full regulation of the industry
It comes at a time when other countries are also considering new approaches to the BNPL industry, including New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Advocates have welcomed the review and want the government to fully regulate the industry
It would mean that these lenders are li cenced and would require them to comply with responsible lending obligations They would have to make sure repayments don't cause substantial financial hardship, offer assistance to customers who are struggling to make repayments, and comply with dis pute resolution standards
Self regulation was important; it is “no substitute for the law”.
In a closed door "intervention" in the G20 debate in Bali on food and energy, Mr Albanese con demned Russia's "illegal" invasion of Ukraine and urged freer trade and enhanced agricultural produc tivity.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the G20 that the world should res olutely oppose attempts to politi cise food and energy issues or use them as tools and weapons.
Mr Xi said food and energy se curity was the most pressing chal lenge in global development, and the best way out of the crisis was to unclog supply chains, remove unilateral sanctions and develop an open, stable and sustainable commodities market.
Mr Albanese called on fellow leaders to back the G20's common frame work to manage the growing debt sustain ability challenge facing vulnerable economies, and looking forward, he spoke about the need for countries to decarbonise their economies, offering long term Aus tralian support through green energy ex ports
G20 host Joko Widodo warned food in security being felt across the developing world could become a crisis is fertiliser production didn't increase
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told G20 leaders that food and energy in security was threatening global famine
After hours of fierce debate and de spite a strong backlash from reli gious groups, the Northern Territory Parliament has passed a suite of amendments to anti discrimination laws, marking the first time the legislation has been substantially overhauled since the original act was passed 30 years ago
The changes include the contentious re moval of a clause that previously allowed religious groups to discriminate against a person on the basis of their religious beliefs or sexuality, and an expansion of personal attributes protected under the legislation.
“We are putting equality into our work places and we are ensuring that those vul nerable Territorians, when they are vilified, that they have protection,” Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said
The Country Liberal Party (CLP) voted against the bill, which Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said, “erodes freedom of speech and erodes freedom of religion”
During the heated debate leading up to the vote, CLP members questioned whether the new laws would erode the ter
Some of the reforms have received back lash from the territory’s religious commu nities, including the removal of an exemption for faith based schools still in force across other Australian jurisdictions.
Under Section 37A of the previous act, religious schools were permitted to ex clude job applicants on the basis of their religious belief, activity or sexuality if they did so in good faith to avoid offend ing the sensitivities of their followers
Representatives of the NT Christian schools network and the territory’s Catholic, Islamic, Sikh, Hindu and Bud dhist communities attended a protest against the changes on the weekend.
The same religious groups have also crit icised the Government for removing the exemption after bill’s public consultation period had ended
The CLP has vowed to overturn the leg islation if elected in 2024
See also: Darwin’s Maltese Bishop Charles Gauci threatens to close Catholic schools ... if on page 20
The world population has grown to eight billion people, more than three times higher than the 2 5 bil lion global headcount in 1950 And our global population will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace and with regional disparities, in the decades to come until it eventually starts to decline
Given the increase in life expectancy as well as the number of people of childbear ing age, the UN projects the population to continue growing to about 8 5 billion in 2030, 9 7 billion in 2050, and a peak of about 10.4 billion in the 2080s.
Other groups have, however, calculated different figures
The US based Institute for Health Met rics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated in a 2020 study that the global population would max out by 2064, without ever reaching 10 billion, and decline to 8 8 bil lion by 2100.
The UN predicts an average life ex pectancy of 77 2 years by 2050
The result, com bined with the de cline in fertility, is that the proportion of people over 65 is expected to rise from 10 per cent in 2022 to 16 per cent in 2050.
This global greying will have an impact on labour markets and national pension systems, while requiring much more eld erly care
For example, the UN projects that more
Official World Cup songs are normally released to coincide with the sporting event of that year So to when it comes to the 2022 version, which is a collaboration between local and international artists
Australian football fans may not know these singers’ faces but they will soon know their voices very, very well Performers Aisha, Trinidad Cardona, Davido have teamed up to create one of the songs for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 a soundtrack that is already becoming fa miliar to those who are in the country for the event
Three songs have been created for the tour nament, with one song released in two dif ferent versions Arabic, French and Spanish. Hayya Hayya (Better Together) was the first of the songs to be released
The catchy tune has become part of World Cup broadcasts and advertising campaigns and associated with the round ball game.
Aisha is the only one of the three singers who is Qatari She said “hayya hayya” loosely translates to “let's go” and is a cel ebratory song
Aisha said she had been able to inspire young girls and other women through her music She told Al Jazeera she felt she had a mission, “it's not an easy one, although I'm getting a lot of support I'm still doing something that's different, I'm still opening a new door but just being that initiator for other women, it makes it worth it ”
Ricky Martin's song Cup of Life for the 1998 World Cup is probably the most recognisable of all FIFA World Cup songs, topping the charts in more than 30 coun tries after its release
Other artists who've created songs con nected to the world's biggest sporting event
than half of the population growth by 2050 will come from just eight countries: Dem ocratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
Some experts believe these regional de mographic differences may play a signifi cant role in geopolitics going forward
The two most populous countries, China and India, will trade places on the podium as early as 2023, according to the UN China's 1 4 billion population will even tually begin to decline, falling to 1 3 bil lion by 2050, the UN projects, and by the end of the century, the Chinese population could fall to only 800 million India's population, currently just below that of China, is expected to surpass its northern neighbour in 2023, and grow to 1 7 billion by 2050 though its fertility rate has already fallen below replacement level.
The United States will remain the third most populous country in 2050, the UN projects, but it will be tied with Nigeria at 375 million Australia's current population is 26 million.
Inkomplu b’dan ix xogħol tal Kunsill Nazzjonali tal Ilsien Malti dwar il forom għall uniformitá Il kliem jinkit eb magħqud meta jkollu tifsira waħda Tkomplija tal Appendiċi A lura
Min ġej ’il quddiem u min sejjer lura madanakollu, madankollu Jgħidu li jħobbuh; madankollu, ħadd ma mar jarah
Eżatt ma nafx, imma ngħidlek li kien hemm madwar tletin ruħ b’kollox Mort mixja madwar ir raħal maġenb Joqgħod sewwasew maġenb il knisja manġapassiġġa Hekk sewwa! Il mara taħdem u int manġapassiġġa matul Matul il-lejl għamlet ħafna xita.
minbarra
Minbarra l impjieg, trid tlaħħaq ukoll max xogħol tad dar minflok
Minflok ma jgħinna, dejjem insibuh itel lifna
minfuq
Għandu tort, u minfuq irid jieħu tiegħu mingħajr
Mingħajr flus ma tagħmel xejn. mingħalija, k, h, eċċ. Jien kien mingħalija li inti kont taf b’kol lox.
mingħand
Il bolol jinxtraw mingħand tal gazzetti Kif kont hemm, xtrajt kollox mingħandu.
minnufih
Tħallix żmien iktar, itlaq minnufih imnalla Imnalla ġibtuh intom l inbid
( I d d s a t a x i l p a r t i )
nofsillejl “12:00am”
F’nofsillejl ftaħna x xampanja u xtaqna s sena t tajba lil xulxin nofsinhar “12:00pm”
F’nofsinhar kulħadd jieqaf mix xogħol għall ikel
F’nofsinhar bumm konna nduru madwar il mejda b’regolarità militari Wara nofsinhar id dell jibda jitwal in nofsiegħa “12:30 am jew pm” (imma ara wkoll nofs siegħa) Ħarġet mal ħbieb, u missierha mar jiġborha fin nofsiegħa ta’ filgħodu. nofstanhar (pl nofstanhari/ nofstanharijiet)
Dam nofstanhar jilgħab mal karozza. Fis sajf il ħaddiema tal gvern jaħdmu bin nofstanhari pereżempju Int, pereżempju, għal xiex ġejt hawn dal għodu?
Ikompli fil ħarġa Nru. 288
Madwar 22 sena ilu, fl 2010 kien sar tibdil fl Att dwar il Kunsilli Lokali, li fost affarijiet oħra kien jinkludi korrezzjoni f ’għadd ta’ ismijiet ta’ bliet u rħula Maltin li ma kellhomx il forma Maltija korretta.
Fost it tibdil li sar kien hemm, li fl ismijiet li fil Malti għandhom Ħal, Ta’ jew lartiklu quddiemhom, għandhom jinkitbu bihom biex ikunu sħaħ (eż Ħal Balzan, Ħal Kirkop, Ħal Għaxaq, Ta’ Xbiex, Tas Sliema, Il Ħamrun, Ix Xewk ija). Dan inħabba li dawn huma parti integrali mill isem sħiħ
Skont il Kunsill Nazzjonali tal Ilsien Malti, din mhix ħaġa li tinstab biss fl is mijiet Maltin biss Hekk ukoll isir fit Tal jan u fl Ingliż, f ’ismijiet bħal L’Aquila (mhux Aquila), La Spezia (mhux Spezia), The Hague (mhux Hague), u li żgur ħadd ma joħlom li jiktibhom mingħajr l artiklu
fid dokumenti u fit tabelli pubbliċi Hawn taħt qed ngħaddu l lista tal ismijiet kif skont il Kunsill għandhom jinkitbu u u li wieħed għandu jagħmel minn kollox ħalli jimxi fil kitba u l grafika tiegħu bil Malti
Iżda qabel xejn ta’ min jinnota dawn:
a) Meta l isem jieħu Ħal (it taqsira ta’ “raħal”), iktbu dejjem bla sing (eż Ħal Balzan, Ħal Qormi, Ħal Safi, Ħal Tarxien)
b) Meta l <l> ta’ Ħal issir bħall ittra ta’ warajha, iktbu bis sing. (eż Ħad Dingli, Ħaż Żabbar, Ħaż Żebbuġ)
ċ) Niktbu Ħal Lija, Ħal Luqa.
Niktbu:
a) il Birgu, il Furjana, il Gżira, il Mellieħa, il Qala b) in Nadur, ir Rabat, is Swieqi, ix Xagħra, iż Żejtun ċ) l Imġarr (mhux l iMġarr), l Imsida (mhux l iMsida), l Imtarfa (mhux l iM tarfa), l Iklin, l Isla
Fl okkażjoni
Margerita VM , fil Knisja
twaqqif
tas Sannat, ir raħal li tiegħu l qaddisa hija l Patruna, ġie mtella’ għall ewwel darba l Oratorju ġdid bl isem ‘Margerita t’An tijokja’ b’mużika tas Surmast Ray Sciberras u lirika ta’ Joe Mifsud Fl Oratorju, li ndaqq mill Banda Santa Margerita VM taħt id direzzjoni tas Surmast George Apap, ħadu sehem ukoll is solisti Georgina Gauci (Sopran); Graziella Debattista (Alto); Alan Sciberras (Tenur) u Albert Buttigieg (Baxx), kif wkoll il kor ‘Ulied Margerita’ immexxi minn Mariella Spiteri Cefai, u n narratur George Borg L Oratorju li rrakkonta l ħajja, il martirju u l glorja ta’ Santa Margerita sar taħt taħt il patroċinju ta’ Frank Zammit, Ambaxxatur Malti għas Santa Sede fil Knisja Parrokkjali ta’ Santa Margerita
Soċjetà Mużikali
ewġ standing ovations mill pubbliku laqgħu lill kast tal musical ta’ Alan Jay Lerner, “MY FAIR LADY” fl ewwel żewġ serati minn erbgħa fit Teatru tal Or atorju Don Bosco, fir Rabat, Għawdex Il musical li huwa addattat mill kitba ta’ George Bernard Shaw “Pymalion” bil mużika ta’ Frederick Loewe, ittella’ f ’Għawdex b’liċenzja miksuba mingħand il Music Theatre International ta’ Londra F’din ir rappreżenatazzjoni l partijiet ewlenin inħadmu minn Clara Sciberras bħala Eliza Doolittle, Tyrone Grima (Pro fessor Higgins), George Camilleri (Colonel Pickering) u Joseph Pavia (Al fred Doolittle) Id direzzjoni mużikali kienet f ’idejn Mro. Mark Gauci, u dik artistika f ’idejn Jamie Camilleri TAĦT: żewġ xeni minn My Fair Lady
Il Kamra tan Negozju għal Għawdex u l EUROPE
DIRECT Gozo b’kollaborazzjoni mal Bank of Val letta, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, u l Awtoritá għall Iżvilupp Reġjonali ta’ Għawdex, orga nizzaw ir raba’ edizzjoni tal Yo u t h 4 E n t r e p r e neurship Gozo, f ’San Lawrenz Din hi kompetiz zjoni li tagħti ċ ċans lil żgħażagħ bejn is 16 u l 35
sena biex joħorġu b’idejat innovattivi dwar Għawdex u li jippreżentawhom quddiem għadd ta’ esperti.
L ewwel, f ’Mejju, l edizzjoni ffukat fuq is sosteni bilitá, propjament fuq soluzzjonijiet li jistgħu jgħinu biex jikkumbattu it tibdil fil klima, fejn iż żgħażagħ setgħu jiddiskutu s suġġett, u fis sajf, iż żgħażagħ interessati kellhom sessjonijiet li għenuhom jitħej jew aktar għall kompetizzjoni
Saru erba’ preżentazzjoni bl ideja rebbieħa tkun tal Victoria Scout Group dwar il manifattura ta’ porvli li jintuża fost l oħrajn fin nar tal festi magħ mul minn materjal sostenibbli.
It tliet rebbieħa ngħataw premju ta’ €500
’b
Maltese born, Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci had had threatened considering closing Catholic schools in his diocese if the Northern Ter ritory Government pressed ahead with laws that would strip schools of the right to hire employees based on faith “Now, it doesn’t mean that every teacher is a Catholic or even a believer, but we cer tainly have a firm policy that the principal, the deputy, the director of religious educa tion, are practicing members of our faith
community,” Bishop Gauci said on Dar win’s Mix 104 9 Radio
“Look, if I cannot have a faith school to be a genuine faith school, where it’s re spectful of everybody, where we give peo ple an idea of other people’s beliefs as well if I cannot have that, then of course what’s the point of having them? We would have to close them, I think, seriously con sider closing them and then all the kids would have to go to the state schools.” Labor’s amendments to the NT’s Anti Dis crimination Act 1992 would repeal section 37A, which currently allows faith schools to dis criminate on the grounds of reli gious belief or ac tivity, or sexuality, and is in good faith to avoid “offending the religious sensi bilities of people of the particular reli
The repeal of section 37A was likely to pass the NT’s parliament
Bishop Gauci said he had spoken “very strongly” about the draft released some months ago but has been “totally ignored” He also wrote to members of the NT Par liament with his concerns and received only one response. He said he wants to “sit down and talk properly and amicably and point out these concerns properly ”
“I repeat: more than half the students to come to our schools are not Catholic, but they value what we present and what we hold So it’s a very major concern ”
In the meantime, a former Northern Terri tory Labor attorney general said the NT Government should hae delayed its con tentious anti discrimination legislation until a federal government review was complete Chris Burns, the long time member for the Darwin seat of Johnston and former attorney general, joined the protesters on the steps of St Mary’s Cathedral, Darwin, to protest the Anti Discrimination Amendment Bill
The former Member for Nightcliff and speaker of the Legislative Assembly Jane Aagaard also stood with protesters in swel tering heat while Solomon MHR Luke Gosling watched on as Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci warned that the Bill would remove religious freedoms and hit human rights in the Northern Territory Bishop Gauci criticised the government for failing to consult with stakeholders and said the Bill threatened the existence of faith based schools. He said the Church did not discriminate based on sexuality and would employ gay teachers
“If a person is gay or whatever and are re spectful of our ethos of course, they are human beings. We love them. We respect them students, teachers, whatever We’re not about discriminating against people in that sense,” Bishop Gauci said “When they come to our school the teach ing they uphold in the public stance needs to be in line and respectful, not criticising or undermining what we teach ”
*Bishop Charles Gauci was born in Malta He was appointed the fifth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Darwin on 27 June 2018 He had been a priest in the Archdiocese of Ade laide since his ordination in 1977 His immediate previous post was as administrator of St Francis Xavier's Cathedral in Adelaide He was conse crated bishop at St Mary's Star of the Sea Cathedral, Darwin on 26 September 2018
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has bestowed on Paul Zammit OAM, KSB of Concord NSW the Honour of Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great for his distinguished services to the church in the Archdiocese of Sydney
His Grace Anthony Fisher OP, the Arch bishop of Sydney, communicated the good news to Paul, a Maltese philanthropist, businessman and ex politician, and the presentation was then held at a formal, very moving ceremony on the 18th of November at St Mary’s Cathedral Chapter Hall when Mr Zammit was awarded the medal and presented with a formal citation
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St Gregory the Great (Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni) was established by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election on 1 September 1831 The order is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See.
It is bestowed upon Catholics (and in rare cases to non Catholics) in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Catholic Church through their un usual labours, their support of the Holy See,
and the examples they set in their commu nities and their respective countries
“I
The MSSP leadership at the St Paul the Apostle, Maltese National Parish in Toronto, Canada, has informed its parishioners of its “difficult decision” that 24 years after taking over the administration of St Paul’s, the MSSP would be leaving the Parish by or around the end of January 2023
In a letter to the parishioners signed by the Superior General Fr Mark Grima, he said that they arrived to this abrupt decision, “following the feeling of dis a p p o i n t m e n t with the local authorities and other feelings such as anger and a sense of h e l p l e s s n e s s , ” that, he said, need time to heal and require support from each other.
He pointed out that this follows the refusal of the visa to its pastor, which, he said, was as a direct blow to the MSSP’s vision and has cornered them with very few options
Fr Grima said that since 1999, when the MSSP took over the administration of St Paul’s, they had been committed to give their best in sustaining the spiritual and pastoral needs of the community
He admitted that there were moments, when given their in creasingly stretched MSSP personnel worldwide, they found it difficult to honour the commitment.
He added however, that during these last 24 years they have tried to serve the Maltese community in Toronto faithfully and likewise the community received their priests with open
hands and care
Meanwhile, a process of transition has begun with the Archdio cese about who would be taking back the administration of the Parish Which means, that the Parish will NOT close, as it is only the MSSP’s mission that would come to an end Fr Grima promised he would be there until a new administrator or Pastor has been ap pointed by the Archdiocese
Mr Zammit told the Voice of the Maltese: would like to feel that this Papal Knight hood will go some way to opening the doors a little wider for more members of the Australian Maltese community to be so recognised in the near future”It was, without any doubt, one of the most attended information sessions for a long time The fact that the subject is current, of concern, and essential and that it was well advertised helped to fill the main hall of La Valette Social Centre
The Maltese Welfare (NSW) are synony mous with the way they disseminate vital information to our community. They have to be applauded for how they involved La Valette Social Centre and made the Thursday Day Care interesting and in formative
The event commenced with a short re ligious session Coffee, tea etc , were served in the hall in an organized man ner without any interruption to the pro ceeding
The subject, Fraud and scam preven tion, was left in the capable hands of De tective Senior Wendy Burgess from the State Crime Command NSW Police HQ delivering a detailed PowerPoint presen tation She also replied to the many questions, indicating the interaction be tween the audience and the speaker
Senior Constable Detective James Ge bran assisted the speaker
Unfortunately, the President of Maltese Welfare, Nathalie Gatt and her husband, Lawrence, were indisposed after preparing well for this informative seminar
Lawrence Dimech made sure the session was run well and on time Special thanks go to Godfrey Sultana and his team at La
Valette Social Centre during t h e i n fo r m at i o n session
Valette for their cooperation and assistance. Many thanks to Frances Montesin, Elet tra Brown and Frances Innis for their be hind the scenes organisation
BELOW (from
Marlene Dimech
Innes,
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.
*(All Groups are coordinated by The Maltese Community Council of NSW) with a sponsorship from Multicultural NSW. Contact the MCC Welfare Offi
Outings every other month Come & make new friends For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud JP Phone (mb 0421 662 298)
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.
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)
We offer legal services in Melbourne (Lt Collins Street) and Werribee
Family law is our specialty
• wills, powers of attorney,
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Radio programme for the Maltese
Every Sunday 11 am to Noon.
An hour filled with information and news.
On demand: www.89.3fm.com. au/on demand
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
• child support, intervention orders.
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Marlene Ebejer (speaks Maltese)is an accredited family law specialist
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We get to the point, provide the right ad vice and get the work done at a reason able price.
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In his debut as an interim coach of the Malta National Football team, Gilbert Agius managed a prestigious 2 2 draw against Greece in the first of two friendly internationals at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium, and three days later suffered a 1 0 defeat against Republic of Ireland
Against Greece Malta gave a most creditable performance in an exciting game They went be hind on 39 minutes from an
Anastasios Bakasetas goal, but levelled in the 54th minute from Jurgen Degabriele Then on 67 minutes went 2 1 up when Teu ma converted a penalty. Foutas drew the teams level in the 86th In the last international for this year, at the same venue Malta submitted to a superior side, the Republic of Ireland. However, a 1 0 loss was not that bad a result after all and the performance proved to be a useful test ahead of next year ’s European Championship qualifiers.
Maltese Premier League leaders
Hamrun Spartans suffered their first defeat after 11 matches when they were beaten 4 2 by lowly placed Zeb bug Rangers in their postponed match that two weeks ago had been interrupt ed at half time due to rainfall with the Rangers leading 2 1 However, the Spartans still enjoy a comfortable six point lead over second placed Gzira United
Very few scoring chances were created The Irish dic tated play and netted the only goal from a defensive mix up early in the second half in the 55th minute by Callum Robinson
It was Malta’s 10th inter national this year They won five, drew one and lost four
Last weekend some of the world’s biggest names finally made their mark in this edition of the FIFA World Cup, while Germany survived elimi nation when they man aged a last gasp equaliser in a 1 1 draw against Spain
After their disappointing loss against Japan, they now stand another chance to make it to the knockout stage
After being on the losing side of a surprise loss against Saudi Arabia, Lionel Messi proved that the Argentina shirt still means much to him
France's Kylian Mbappe, the world’s most expensive player proved to be the man of the match with two goals against Denmark and Poland's Robert Lewandowski finally broke his World Cup duck in the vic
tory over Saudi Arabia. In the first week, we had some astonishing results. Three favourites suffered losses Argentina against Saudi Arabia, Germany against Japan, and secnd favourites Belgium were downed by Morocco
African countries have im pressed, so too have Australia, the USA and Canada We an ticipate more surprises but the top guns might still prevail
Another impressive feature is the overall attendance, with 94% attendance figures regis tered in the first round stage
Up till Tuesday, seven teams had qualified to the last 16 stage They are, Netherlands and Senegal from Grp A; Eng land and USA from B; France from D; Brazil from G, and Portugal from E.
Football is often described as “The World Game” and the 26 man squad representing Australia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is a true reflection of the country’s multiculturalism
Nine players selected in the Socceroos were born overseas from five different countries Several others were born in Australia but come from migrant roots, including Ajdin Hrustic, with Romanian/ Bosnian heritage Jamie McLaren has a Maltese mother.
An analysis by football podcast Fútbol In finito found Australia was one of the most culturally diverse teams in the World Cup field, with only Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Qatar and Wales having more squad play ers who were born in another country
In a video the Socceroos released after an nouncing their squad for Qatar, they said that the lineup represents Australia’s di verse migrant history.
About 30 per cent of Australians are born overseas, and 49 per cent have at least one parent born overseas
Earlier this year, Socceroo Awer Mabil who learned to play football in a Kenyan refugee camp, after his parents fled civil war in South Sudan, told SBS News that when he arrived to Australia, he couldn’t speak English, but used football as a way to communicate.
“Football was like a saviour for me and it was a way I could communicate,” he said Another Socceroo, Thomas Deng, is a childhood friend of Mabil and was born in
South Sudan. He travelled to Australia as a refugee, where he settled in Adelaide when he was six years old Other Socceroos born overseas in the squad include MilosDegenek, Fran Karacic, Harry Souttar, Keanu Baccus, Martin Boyle, Jason Cummings and Garang Kuol Players Union Co Chief Executive, Kathryn Gill said migrants in Australia are more likely to relate to players from diverse backgrounds.
“They come from many different back grounds and journeys and that’s why many Australians can relate to the Socceroos through not just the moments of inspiration on the pitch but can connect with players through their varied stories, experiences and communities off it too," she said “It’s a wonderful example of football’s ap peal, although the game’s opportunity now is about how we can encompass communi ties who face barriers to access our beauti ful game at the grassroots level, including Indigenous kids in regional Australia
A statement by Australia’s national team in 2020 said football was a “space for mi grant communities” since 1888
“First introduced in the late 19th century by Englishman John Walter Fletcher, foot ball (or soccer) soon became a space for migrant communities many of whom fled war and persecution in their homelands to gather and celebrate their culture and heritage,” it reads
Many of Australia’s oldest football clubs
were formed by these immigrant groups: the Greeks of South Melbourne and Syd ney Olympic, the Italians of Marconi and Adelaide City, the Maltese at Melita Eagles in NSW, and George Cross in Melbourne, the Croatians of Melbourne Knights, Syd ney United, and Perth’s Western Knights
Many of the world’s best football teams have players representing diverse back grounds
Meanwhile, the Socceroos have already played their Group D matches in the Qatar World Cup As expected they were thrash ed 4 1 by World Champions France, but in the second game they beat Tunisia 1 0 to total three points. Yesterday they had an other tough commitment against Denmark