Mr Grassby met with prominent members of the Italian community in Adelaide last Monday, at the Premier’s office.
More than 40 Italians had the chance to shake hands with the charming minister, who shared a few words and a joke with each and every person in his stunted yet comprehensible Italian.
Premier Don Dunstan was also present at the meeting, and Minister for Justice, Mr King.
Presented by the Premier, Mr Grassby made a brief speech which seemed more like a chat amongst friends.
He said the complete and definitive immigration policy was under revision and will be launched midway through this year.
He reassured his audience that, despite recent restrictions, South Australia can obtain the number of emigrants required if necessary.
Having sung his praises for the hard work of Italians in Australia, Mr Grassby said:
“We are all immigrants; we’re a big family and my job is to unite this family which, for various reasons, is often divided. It’s my job to reunite the pieces and make them stronger, happier, and more trusting.”
After his speech, he then answered questions in a jovial manner which made the encounter interesting and memorable.
Before the meeting came to an end, Mr Grassby expressed his desire to communicate with the Italian community regularly before exclaiming a surprising: “Viva l’Italia!”
