When I arrived in 1981 as a 12-year-old from Greece, I could not have imagined that three decades later I would return to the country of my birth as Australia’s ambassador.
My family already had strong ties here. My mother’s brother had migrated in the early 1960s, and other relatives followed. By the time we arrived, Greek Australians, like many other migrant communities, had already put down deep roots, helping build modern Australia and strengthen the bonds between Australia and Greece.
But for us, the work of belonging was only beginning. My parents worked long hours and made sacrifices so their children could have opportunities they did not have. I had to find my way in a new school, language, culture and way of life.
We did not do it alone. Those who came before us helped us, as did friends, neighbours and the wider community. Over time, Australia became our home.
For me, that experience led to the Australian Public Service and the privilege of representing Australia abroad.
I still remember my first day at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. Thirteen years earlier, I had arrived as a migrant. Now the country that had welcomed my family and given us the chance to build a life here was entrusting me to represent it in the world.
That responsibility stayed with me in every posting. It taught me that diplomacy is not only about interests, but also about values. Australia’s influence comes from what it stands for: an open democracy, strong institutions, a professional public service, fairness, equality and mutual respect. It comes, too, from being an open and diverse society that gives people from every background the chance to belong and contribute. When those values are lived at home, Australia’s voice is stronger abroad.
In 2011, I was appointed Australia’s ambassador to Greece during the debt crisis, one of the most difficult periods in the country’s recent history. The figures were devastating, but they could not capture the full human cost or the way a proud and complex country was too often reduced to its economic problems.
Australia stood by Greece as a friend, sharing practical expertise and deepening business, institutional and people-to-people links. The Greek Australian community was central to that work, serving as a living bridge between two countries joined by history, democratic values, wartime bonds and generations of contribution.
The appointment brought my personal and professional lives together in a way I had never expected. I had left Greece as a child and returned representing Australia.
That journey is at the heart of my memoir, Australian Ambassador.
It also reinforced something I had seen throughout my diplomatic career, from Iran, Argentina and Japan to Greece, Taiwan and Eastern Europe. Immigration and multiculturalism are central to Australia’s prosperity, security and international standing, especially in the Indo-Pacific region where languages, cultural understanding and trusted relationships matter deeply.
Language is an important part of that. Speaking Greek, Farsi, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin and some Taiwanese each opened a window into the societies where I served. Even an imperfect attempt to speak another person’s language changes the tone of a conversation. It shows respect, builds trust and helps us understand how others see the world.
Australia’s multicultural achievement is real and precious. We see it in the languages spoken around family tables, the businesses people have built, the communities and workplaces they have enriched and the care and hard work they have given this country.
And multiculturalism gives Australia more than diversity alone. It shows that people can come from different places and still share a common future. It strengthens the trust we earn abroad, the partnerships we form and the influence we are able to exercise.
Belonging is not about leaving behind who we are. It is about bringing the best of where we come from into the life we build here.
A confident Australia makes room for that. It welcomes people as they are and invites them to contribute to a shared future grounded in democratic values, mutual respect, responsibility and dignity.
The tone of our national debate matters, too. Many Australians are under real pressure from rising living costs and are rightly concerned about whether housing, infrastructure and services are keeping pace. Governments must respond with competent policy. But those pressures should never become an argument against people who come here to build their lives or a reason for Australia to close itself off from the world.
Australia’s diplomacy, and its future, depend on remaining open, inclusive and globally connected.
My story is personal, but it speaks to the larger promise of a country where people can arrive with hope, contribute fully and come to know Australia as home.
That is why Australia’s openness and diversity remain a national strength worth protecting. And it is Australia’s story to the world.
This article is an abridged version of a speech delivered at the Australian Institute of International Affairs Victoria on 15 September 2026.
