Hungarian President talks about a ‘demographic ice age’ in Sydney, Australia

President Katalin Novák said in Sydney on Tuesday that at her talks with Anthony John Abbott, the former prime minister of Australia, she highlighted the importance of the family.

They discussed at their private meeting the possible actions that could be taken against “a demographic ice age” and were joined later by prominent representatives of Australian society, Novák told reporters after the event.

Novák said she told the Australian side that Hungary’s family policy went against the mainstream in so that the real focus of related measures were families.

The president noted that a demographic decline and the challenge it posed could be witnessed over the past 40 years. In addition to seeking out solutions to tackle that challenge, she said, the protection of family values was also highly important. Novák offered to share Hungary’s experience with its measures, and noted the 5th Demographic Summit Budapest hosted in September.

Speaking about the Hungarian diaspora, the president said that close to 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Australia who form a community that nurtures its culture and traditions through which they preserve their Hungarian identity. She said one of the main goals of her visit was to maintain relations with the Hungarian diaspora community and celebrate the anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet revolution with them in a country where they were in great numbers.