George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Again, I commend the member for Chifley and the member for Werriwa on this motion. All that has been said is so true. We have 70 years of friendship. We wonder why there has been such strong friendship. The members talked about values and the values between Filipinos and Australians being very similar. There are a number of Filipino values, and when you look at them, they line up with Australian values.

Again, apologies for my Tagalog, but the first value is known as pakikipagkapwa tao, which in Australia is egalitarianism, mateship and family values. I stayed with a family that lived in Negros Oriental. Yes, I had to use the tabo. But the reality was, when we are talking about differences between Australia and the Philippines we talked about aged-care centres. They looked on in horror at the concept of an aged-care centre, because their families keep their elders with them as they get older and look after them. Biro, or joy an humour, is an Australian characteristic as well. The Prime Minister would love the fact that among the Filipino traits are flexibility, adaptability and creativity. They certainly are terminologies that have been used in recent times. The faith and religiosity of the Filipino people is another value which is shared by many in Australia. The ability to survive, as we have seen through events like Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda, and other disasters. We have cyclones and bushfires here in Australia, so we have that connection of surviving the harshness of nature. Hard work and industry: the Filipino people are known for migrating right around the world and going right around the world to work. That is something that we value in this country. Finally, there is hospitality, which again goes to the mateship.

It is easy to see why our two countries have had that friendship for such a long time. The values that the Filipino people subscribe to are the same values that the Australian people subscribe to. I could add another value that I subscribe to—karaoke singing—but we will not go there.

In conclusion, because I want my contribution to be brief: Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Long live the Philippines! And long live the connection between our two countries.

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