Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Matt Carthy TD, has outlined Sinn Féin’s commitment to strengthening relationships between Ireland and Australia.

He was speaking to a gathering of Parliamentary Friends of Ireland this afternoon at the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne.  The event took place at the end of week of engagements between Mat Carthy and Sinn Féin’s Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty with Ministers and parliamentarians at a federal and state level in Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne. 

Matt Carthy said:

“Ireland and Australia have many shared values and in this room have a shared vision – it is a vision in which ordinary workers, families and communities come first.  Affordable housing, strong public healthcare and an effective response to climate change are central to this vision. 

“We in Sinn Féin know that deepening the special relationship between Ireland and Australia is important to shaping a better future.  

“The current Irish government has not done enough to develop the connections between our two countries.  

“If elected to government Sinn Féin will work tirelessly to strengthen our diplomatic, political and economic relationship with Australia. We want Ireland to be Australia’s go-to contact in the European Union. 

“Our world is changed and changing. Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine and the ever escalating Climate Crisis shows that the need strong muliti-lateral institutions has never been more important.   

“Ireland’s influence in the world was never dependent on military or economic force.  Instead it has been through a principled military neutrality and independent foreign policy, coupled with the power wielded by our diaspora, that has allowed Ireland to punch above our weight and advocate for peace, justice and equality in every corner of the globe.

“I believe that the strengthening of the friendship between Ireland and Australia can be a beacon to the world of these enduring principles. 

“Our relationship is special, it has endured across time and tides, and I believe it can be made even stronger still. 

“We remember our shared history, but today our responsibility is to reach for a new future for Ireland and Australia, and a better future for the peoples of our two great countries.”