SWISS NATIONAL DAY 2020
Contributions and messages from around Australia and Switzerland.
Experience online Swissness to warm your hearts!
Happy Swiss National Day from your CSA Oceania Team!
Katja Wallimann Gates, Carmen Trochsler, Roland Isler & Beat Knoblauch
Join, celebrate and share!
©CSA Oceania. Music: Linard Bardill - D’Flügel, wo du mier häsch geh. Flying with permission!
OSA President, Remo Gysin adresses the Swiss in Oceania
Remo Gysin, President of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad: “Our aim is to strengthen the bond between Swiss people in whatever part of the world they are living in.”
© Organisation of the Swiss Abroad
Australian Delegate of the CSA, Beat Knoblauch
Beat Knoblauch from Sydney has been a member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2009. He has prepared a special message for the Swiss living in the Oceania region.
© Beat Knoblauch
Swiss Consulate in Sydney
Bernadette Hunkeler Brown is Switzerland’s Consul General in Australia. Her team is based in Sydney. Listen to her 1st of August speech for the Swiss community in Australia.
© Consulate General of Switzerland in Sydney
Swiss Embassy in Canberra
On the Missione1Agosto website Ambassadors from around the world have left a message, including Ambassador and Special Envoy for the Pacific Islands Region, Yasmine Chatila Zwahlen from Canberra.
© Swiss Embassy in Canberra / Presence Suisse
Diccon Bewes – author, traveller, chocolate lover
A special contribution from Switzerland to Australia from Diccon Bewes, who is experiencing his first Swiss National Day as the proud owner of a Swiss passport – which only took 979 days to acquire, almost as much time as the Brexit negotiations!
© Diccon Bewes
The Rütli Spirit - Charles Knight, Canberra
Do ANZAC Day and Swiss National Day have anything in common? Let Dr Charles Knight, our honorary Swiss and military historian who was a member of three Swiss choirs in Australia, give you the surprising answer.
© Charles Knight
Brisbane’s Bärg-Röseli members active @Home
Bärg-Röseli members are active @Home, and happy to share their latest production. With the present COVID-19 situation, they will probably not rehearse in person for several more months, but can still be creative!
© Gabriel & Yanni Dubler
Swiss Club Celebrations in and around Adelaide
Enjoy this glimpse into traditional events of the Swiss Club of South Australia with alphorns, bonfire, lampoons, tug-of-war and sack racing games, Bernese mountain dogs and Swiss flags!
©CSA Oceania/Swiss Club of South Australia
National Day Picnic at Castle Hill Showground in Sydney
A great clip from the Swiss National Day Picnic 2018, organised by the Swiss Yodlers of Sydney and the Swiss Folksdance Group Alpegruess at Castle Hill Showground. It’s called a ‘picnic’ but really is a big party!
© Swiss Club of NSW
Yodel Choir Matterhorn & Tschäderebäng Band, Melbourne
Have you heard of the Swiss Yodel Choir Matterhorn & Tschäderebäng Band? Enjoy Swiss folklore made downunder. Recorded at last year’s 1st of August celebration at the Austrian Club in Heidelberg, Victoria.
© Matterhorn Yodel Choir
Bergfrühlingsfest on the Männlichen in Grindelwald
Missing green alpine meadows, snow-covered mountain peaks and the sound of Schwyzerörgeli? This video will transport you right into the heart of Switzerland, to the annual Mountain Spring Festival on the Männlichen.
©Grindelwald Tourism. Used with permission.
National Day sausage-sizzle in lock-down Melbourne
Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases Melbourne has been put into lockdown again – no public or private gatherings allowed. A heart-warming 1st of August greeting from Swiss Club committee member Claude Staub and family!
© Claude Staub
Swiss History in a Nutshell
A brief history of Switzerland presented by CSA Delegate Roland Isler. Want to know why Swiss National Day is celebrated on 1st of August? Click on the cover of the flip-book to learn how Switzerland became the country it is today.
©CSA Oceania. Free to download.
What every Swiss needs for a perfect Swiss National Day or any other celebration is cheese! We are proud that The Red Cow joins our virtual festivities in the Oceania region by offering a 10% discount on its entire range of delicious Swiss cheese. Use the coupon code “swissabroad20” at checkout. Valid until 15 August. Click here to shop.
Ready for more Swissness?
We invite you to visit the interactive website www.missione1agosto.org for all fellow Swiss and friends of Switzerland around the world, created by the Swiss Government. The current events are not going to stop Switzerland from celebrating 1st of August together, wherever you are in the world!
Address by the President of the Swiss Confederation
“You convey Switzerland’s democratic principles to the world.” Watch President Simonetta Sommaruga’s National Day address to the Swiss Abroad.
© UVEK / swissinfo.ch
Dream now – travel later
Unfortunately, travel to Switzerland is currently difficult. But it is allowed to dream, to be inspired and to plan. That is why we would like to bring Switzerland to your home – with beautiful pictures.
© Switzerland Tourism. Used with permission.
Join, celebrate and share!
Are you on Facebook? Like and follow us to stay up to date with the information we would like to share with you. Alternatively subscribe to our Newsletter.
We are Swiss Abroad! Powered by swissinfo.ch - share your instagram photos and videos using the hashtag #weareswissabroad. Or subscribe to swissinfo.ch's instagram account.
Background photo credits: Depositphotos, Francine Schaepper Photography, Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, CSA Oceania
News
Report on the Council of the Swiss Abroad Meeting – July 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress of the Swiss Abroad and the meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) that were to be held in Lugano this August had to be postponed to next year. As a consequence – and as a first of its kind – the CSA meeting was conducted virtually, utilising the online conference system ‘Demio’. It took place on 10 July 2020 and a total of 86 delegates participated.
Council of the Swiss Abroad Spring Meeting 2020
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) on 14 March 2020 in Berne had to be cancelled. As a consequence - and as a first in the history of the organisation – the 127 delegates were asked to cast their votes electronically in matters that couldn’t be postponed until the next meeting.
2020 without any Council of the Swiss Abroad assembly
Sadly, the Congress of the Swiss Abroad that was to be held in Lugano from 21 to 23 August 2020, and with it the CSA summer assembly, had to be cancelled.
Coronavirus – a message from the Swiss Government
Dear fellow Swiss
As you are all aware the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is quickly spreading around the world but the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not changed its warning level (public health emergency of international concern) since January 30, 2020.
An update on e-voting and the federal election 2019
A lot has happened lately with regards to e-voting. There has been growing resistance and a fair bit of scare-mongering in Switzerland regarding the introduction of e-voting. Whilst the advantages are obvious to the government and the Swiss Abroad, sceptics argue that the trust in the democratic process is compromised due to e-security uncertainty and the cost of developing a secure system is also a concern. Earlier this year, a broad alliance of political parties has been collecting signatures for a popular initiative. Their aim is to ban the introduction of e-voting for at least five years.
Report of the Spring Meeting 2019
The legislative body of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), met for its biannual meeting at the town hall in Bern on 23 March 2019. For the second time, the meeting followed on an exchange with Swiss parliamentarians for an update on political issues with relevance for the Swiss Abroad.
Geneva shelves e-voting platform on cost grounds
Canton Geneva has announced it can no longer afford to bear the cost of an e-voting system and plans to abandon the project, according to Swiss public radio, RTS. This leaves only one other e-voting project still standing in Switzerland run by Swiss Post.
Read the full Swissinfo report here
Banking problem: No solution for the Swiss Abroad
OSA PRESS RELEASE: Bern, 13 June 2018 – The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) representing the interests of 751,800 compatriots living abroad, is disappointed that the Council of States today rejected Motion 17.3626 by 30 votes to 9 with 4 abstentions. The Council of States has decided not to follow the majority of its Foreign Policy Commission (APK-S) and has rejected a motion calling on PostFinance to accept Swiss Abroad on similar terms as citizens residing in Switzerland. The problem that has existed for our compatriots living abroad for ten years remains unresolved.
Council of States decides against discriminatory social security changes
OSA PRESS RELEASE: Bern, 30 May 2018 – The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) is relieved that the Council of States has today decided to follow the recommendation of its Commission on Social Security and Health (SGK-S) to delete the amendment to Article 4 (1) in the context of the supplementary benefits reform. This means that the current rules remain in place. Last March, the National Council approved an application whereby Swiss Abroad would have had to pay social security contributions (AHV) for at least ten years in order to qualify for supplementary benefits, which would have discriminated against Swiss Abroad.
New Partnership with Geneva Cantonal Bank
On 10 March 2018, at he CSA meeting in Bern, the executive of the OSA announced that it had entered into a partnership with the Geneva Cantonal Bank (BCGE).
More information is available under the topic Swiss Banks.
Health insurance: we’re interested in your experiences!
The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) would like to know about difficulties you have encountered in the area of health insurance and the practical problems that you face as a Swiss person living abroad. This may be of specific relevance to those living temporarily in the Oceania region or those in need for travel insurance when visiting Switzerland. By the same token, if you have had positive experiences or wish to share good practices, please do so!
The purpose is to look at ways of improving the situation of Swiss people living abroad in this regard.
You can send your experiences and suggestions to us delegates and/or directly to the head office in Bern: info@aso.ch
Automatic Exchange of Information with New Zealand
The Swiss Parliament voted for the Introduction of Automatic Exchange of Information with New Zealand. A summary and comments by Peter Ehrler, New Zealand Member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad.
Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) with New Zealand – Swiss National Council says NO!
On 27 September, the National Council (Nationalrat) followed the recommendation from the Economic Commission of the Lower House and rejected implementing the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) with New Zealand. The majority of the members are of the opinion that the Swiss in New Zealand are disadvantaged over other Swiss living abroad, because of the Swiss pension (AHV) being confiscated by the New Zealand Government.
Claiming a tax deduction from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on a pension paid by the Swiss Social Insurance
Are you receiving an income from the Swiss Social Insurance (AHV/AVS or IV/AI)?
You may be entitled to claim a tax deduction in Australia for personal contributions paid into the insurance.
For more news please check our News Archive