Friday, April 28, 2006

Australian Italian Senator to Sponsor StrongerTies between Italy and Overseas Italians

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Nino Randazzo is promoting facilitating the ability of Italian Australians, who are entitled, to acquire Italian Citizenship.

 

Nino is also interested in restoring cuts in Italy's overseas Consular Offices, to better service Overseas Italians. 

 

And he wants programs that will educate Overseas Italians more about their Italian Heritage and Culture. 

 

These suggestions will fall on more receptive ears since the vote of Overseas Italians was decisive in the Election, and Italy is therefore paying  more attention to emigrants and their descendants for the first time.

 

 

 

Italy could learn a lot from Australia, says our senator in Rome

[RAA: Really: Like What? Throwing a Boomerang?]

 

The Age (Australia)

By Desmond O'Grady, Rome
April 29, 2006

 

...Nino Randazzo....Essendon, (Melbourne) Australia is the first (Italian) senator to greet visitors with "G'day, mate"....

Senator Randazzo, 73, is convinced that Prodi's planned 5 per cent reduction in company tax, plus the crackdown on tax evasion, will revive the economy.

He adds that the Centre-Left will consider immigrants as a resource rather than a threat.

With Marco Fedi, the other Melburnian elected for the Democratic Left to the Chamber of Deputies, Senator Randazzo, who was sworn in last night, has already had a session with Mr Prodi on what should be done for Italians in Australia.

Senator Randazzo recommended making it easier for Italians who had renounced their citizenship to reacquire it. In Australia dual citizenship became possible in 2002.

Resources for diplomatic, consular and cultural activities have been cut back in recent years but Senator Randazzo made a case for more money for them, for the welfare of elderly migrants, for initiatives to interest second and third generation Australian-Italians in their homeland.

"Because the vote of Italians outside Italy was decisive, Italy is paying attention to emigrants and their descendants for the first time and can benefit from our experiences in a multicultural, multi-ethnic society such as Australia. I'm happy to be on hand to contribute to his," Senator Randazzo said.

He is now looking for a flat in Rome because, except for a month-long summer break, the Senate is in session for three days of every week. "With the slim majority, I'll have to be glued to my seat," he said.

When he can he will visit his wife and three daughters in Melbourne. Senators have free travel in Italy plus a Ђ15,000 ($A25,000) annual travel allowance, but this may be increased for Senators from outside Italy. Senator Randazzo's constituency covers Mongolia (two voters), about a thousand each in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the Italian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (he wants their immediate withdrawal), 14,000 in South Africa and many in Egypt.

When he gets a break from the Senate he will visit his birthplace, the small volcanic island of Salina, off Sicily.

 

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