Georgios Floridis, Greek Minister for Justice was born in Macedonia. Bill Papastergiadis OAM is also of Macedonian heritage, with both of his parents being born in the region. The similarities do not stop there, as they both attended at the Inaugural Hellenic Legal Conference.

Bill recounts his meeting with Mr Floridis below:

In my meeting with the Minister at his offices, he spoke of the need for urgent reform to the legal system in Greece.

I did say to him that the lives of people are significantly affected by delays in the justice system. I recounted how a friend of mine in Greece had been locked in the Greek legal system for 9 years involving a property dispute. It was only determined in a Greek Superior Court. In fact, I remarked that justice and democracy are intricately linked noting that many international Investors to Australia cite Australia’s effective justice system as a factor in where to expend their investment.

But our discussion turned more to our personal stories. Largely the same age, Mr Floridis was interested in my upbringing in Australia and my legal career. He noted the sliding door moment in his life when his father was only just moments from moving his family to Melbourne including the Minister himself as a young boy. A change in some circumstances, resulted in a change in plans and the family remained in Athens.

Mr Floridis has many family members in Melbourne and understands the migrant story well.

His interest was such that on 3 separate occasions I made a move to finish the meeting as I felt I was impinging in his day, with each time the Minster saying “please stay, let’s continue our conversation.”
As our worlds become closer, the need for cross border legal relationships and justice become more imperative. These conversations are an important part of this process.