Sinn Féin to meet with young Irish in Australia

Representatives from Sinn Féin will visit Australia in the coming weeks to listen to the concerns of the many thousands of Irish emigrants there. Donegal TD Pearse Doherty and Noeleen McPolin of the party's International Department will visit Perth, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in early September, speaking at public meetings and engaging with local politicians, trade unionists and Irish organisations. Above all, though, they will be meeting with young Irish people who have recently arrived in Australia to look for work.

Speaking in advance of the trip, local Sinn Féin Republican Youth activist Grace McDermott said:
“This is an incredibly difficult time to be young in Ireland. It is the touchstone issue for young people, and it’s unfortunately nearly a daily occurrence to hear of someone either losing a job, or heading abroad to look for a job. As a young person who has seen many of my friends forced to leave their families, their friends and their home country in search of work, I know all too well what a lack of action on youth unemployment can do. We need to make youth unemployment a priority and we need to beat emigration. Sinn Féin has the proposals and the political will to make this a reality.


The Sinn Féin trip will provide an excellent opportunity to meet and engage with many of these young people. It will also involve a campaign on the education and organisation of Irish workers in Australia against exploitation and to encourage trade union membership among Irish emigrants there.There is evidence that some Irish workers are being exploited in the workplace in Australia as they are dependent on their employer for their visa to be maintained or extended.


Sinn Féin supports the campaign of Australian Trade Unionists to defend the rights of Irish workers in Australia and the Sinn Féin delegation will meet with some of the union representatives campaigning on this issue during the trip.”

Deputy Doherty and Ms. McPolin will also launch the Uniting Ireland campaign in Australia and campaign for voting rights for the Irish diaspora. They will be in Australia between 6th and 11th September 2012.