A decades-long peace process can finally reach a conclusion with the help of Australian politicians and the Irish diaspora, a respected peace negotiator says.
The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998, may have brought relative peace to Northern Ireland but an influential politician is asking Australia's government to keep lobbying for a final reunification of the Emerald Isle.
Conor Murphy, upper house leader of left-wing opposition party Sinn Féin, called for Labor to make good on its official policy to support a united Ireland.
The agreement stipulates Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK until a majority of people in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland wish otherwise, to be determined through joint referendums.
"There is an opportunity to continue to press both the British government and the Irish government to make the necessary preparations for a unity referendum," Mr Murphy told AAP in Canberra on Wednesday.
Mr Murphy has been involved in every peace negotiation in Ireland since 1998. He's in Australia to connect with the local diaspora and speak with politicians to build support for reunification.
In Australia, Labor supported the reunification of Ireland at its national conference in 2023, making the stance official party policy.
Irish connections run deep at the very top of the government, with the prime minister's late mother having Irish heritage.
The local diaspora is also growing with more than 100,000 people born in Ireland living in Australia.
Trying to grow engagement in Irish peace and politics among both elected representatives and people on the street is the central purpose of Mr Murphy's trip.
"People here have an influence, whether they're just a member of the diaspora and talking to their own elected reps here or talking to family and friends back in Ireland," he said.
"The next chapter has been written in terms of Irish politics and they should be part of that."
One major hurdle to political participation is the restriction of voting rights on people not in Ireland when an election is held, unlike Australia where votes can be cast by enrolled voters from overseas.
Rather than trying to prevent more immigration from Ireland, Mr Murphy believes stopping overseas Irish from voting is an attempt to suppress voting rights.
Sinn Féin is celebrating the success of their chosen candidate in an Irish presidential election but a centre-right coalition still controls the government.
The party wants to learn from Labor's resounding success at the 2025 federal election and is looking to maximise left-wing solidarity.
"We'd all like to learn lessons for whatever formula works for getting people into a position where they can deliver on policies that are important," Mr Murphy said.
