Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

As a nation, we are very proud of our links with Australia, which began with the earliest settlements in that country and continue today with an annual exchange of working holidaymakers in both directions, as the Senator stated. I appreciate his personal interest in the matter. The historic links are very profound. More than 200 years have passed since the first Irish settlers were transported to Australia and, since then, the Irish have merged into every aspect of Australian life. As many as one third of all Australians lay claim to Irish ancestry which a rough calculation puts at almost six million people, some of whom have been settled in the country for generations and whose Irish origins are little more than a curiosity. Many more, however, have moved there in the past 50 years and have strong psychological and emotional connections to their home country.

More recently, a number of Irish societies have been formed, contributing greatly to feelings of Irish identity, forming social outlets and putting in place support systems for the elderly and vulnerable. The Department of Foreign Affairs recognises the responsibility it has, both to these Irish-Australians and the thousands of young professionals who travel from Ireland to Australia each year. Through the Embassy in Canberra and the Consulate General in Sydney, the Department has worked closely with various organisations to ensure their safety and welfare.

The Australian-Irish welfare bureau in Melbourne is an invaluable resource for the Irish Embassy in Australia's second largest city. With the Irish-Australian welfare bureau and resource centre in Sydney, it provides support services for the elderly Irish and is of great assistance to young people who travel there on the working holiday programme. The Australian-Irish welfare bureau in Woolongong, an industrial city south of Sydney, also acts as an important social and community resource in an area with a strong Irish connection.

In recognition of the good work of these welfare centres, both with the elderly and marginalised Irish and the 10,000 or so working holidaymakers who travel each year, the Government has made an annual grant to each centre since 1996. The grant for 2002 totalled Aus$64,000. Following my visit to Australia a number of years ago, I can appreciate as well as anybody the invaluable work carried out by these centres. More recently, in March 2002, several members of the task force on policy regarding emigrants met representatives of all three centres and were highly impressed at the services provided in each case for emigrants young and old. The report of the task force recommended increased funding for all Irish immigrant services, including those in Australia. However, conscious of the difficult budgetary situation facing the Government, it was not possible to provide any additional funding this year. The Minister for Foreign Affairs intends maintaining the grants for this year at Aus$64,000.