Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on this motion and commend the member for Chifley for providing the opportunity to speak about the important contribution made by our vibrant Filipino community in Australia and the enduring strong ties that have existed between our two nations. The member Chifley, of course, is the joint convenor, together with the member for Grey, for the Filipino parliamentary friendship group, which I am part of and many, many members in this place are part of as well. Recently we were hosted by the Philippines Ambassador to Australia, Her Excellency Ma. Hellen De La Vega, for a briefing at the embassy. It was an event where we spoke about all things Philippine, the relationship with Australia and the strong ties that we've had for many years. We know this year marks the 75th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines.

I am very lucky in my electorate. In the federal seat of Adelaide we have a wonderful Filipino community, and this community has grown from strength to strength. The last census showed that by 2016 the number of Filipinos in South Australia was 12,460. Many in our community came during a period of unrest in the 1970s. They came for a new life and, in doing so, have given so much to Australian society. Today I wish to acknowledge and commend the Filipino community, in particular the South Australian Filipino community in my electorate, for their enormous contribution. South Australia's largest Filipino organisation, the Filipino association of South Australia, is in my electorate. It was founded in 1975, and today it promotes Filipino arts and culture, language, recreation for the aged, religious and social activities and welfare assistance. It also organises a number of vibrant festivals, which I have been privileged to attend over the years. They draw large crowds from all walks of life and backgrounds. These are very important social services and initiatives that support the Filipino community through all stages of life.

They also ensure that the wider community can participate and learn from this wonderful community. Just recently we had South Australia's amazing OzAsia Festival, which offers many communities the opportunity to participate and showcase their diverse cultures. One of those communities was the Filipino community. I understand that this year the plan was to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations with the Philippines, but obviously the pandemic meant that some of those plans were changed. However, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful OzAsia organisers for putting the show on, especially Douglas Gautier, the CEO of Adelaide Festival Centre, who does amazing work.

Australia-Philippines bilateral ties are deep and far-reaching. It is, in fact, one of Australia's longest standing bilateral relationships, and we are united by the ties that we share through interests and values, through the democracies that we have. We have much in common, sharing the same geographical proximity and sharing perspectives on many regional economic and security issues. As I said, I've been fortunate to have many dealings with the Philippines embassy here in Canberra and with my community in my electorate, and I express my thanks to all the Filipino community for everything they have done in South Australia, as one of the leading communities.

Of all these links that we have, the bilaterals and the signatories that we're part of et cetera, one of the most important links we have is the people-to-people links—the community that exists here in Australia that has contacts and ties with the community in the Philippines. We see many people in partnerships that thrive. This is thanks to those wonderful local Filipino communities that we all have in our electorates, as well as the tourism and cultural exchanges. These links are fostered through our many Filipino students as well, who are enrolled in our universities and vocational institutions. Like all of us here, I'll look forward to welcoming many more international students from the Philippines when the current health crisis allows.

I wish to commend our Australian-Filipino community and thank them for contributing to the cultural, diversity and multiculturalism of our community and thank them for helping build the bridge that links our two nations.

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