Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday I was honoured to join hundreds of delegates and affiliates of the Filipino community for the Filipino Communities Council of Australia national conference gala dinner, which was hosted this year by the Philippine Community Council of New South Wales in Parramatta. It was a great privilege to be amongst official dignitaries including Her Excellency Ambassador Belen F. Anota; Consul-General Anne Jalando-on Louis; representatives from scores of Philippines community affiliate groups from around Australia; and the winners of several awards for Filipino-Australians for their outstanding achievements across the spectrum, including leadership, youth representation and community organisation.

Each of these awards is highly prestigious and open to a hotly contested nomination process. Those assembled were delighted to pay tribute to, in absentia, our latest local Filipino-Australian heroine from Western Sydney, 15-year-old Marlisa Punzalan, winner of the X Factor 2014, whose amazing talent has propelled her from schoolgirl to superstar. Her absence was due to her recording commitments in Melbourne that evening, but her family, who represented her, were so proud, and the reception from those present demonstrated the equal depth of pride in her success being celebrated by so many Filipino Australians.

I was especially delighted on this occasion to be present to honour the winner of the prestigious Filipino-Australian of the Year Award. The rapturous reception for Juan Ignacio Trapaga—otherwise known as Ignatius Jones—was so genuine and was almost as moving as his heartfelt acceptance speech. Born in Singalong, Manila, in 1957, Ignatius Jones is the son of Basque-Chinese and Catalan-American parents. As he traced his roots throughout Filipino history and ethnicity he emphasised both the diversity of his ancestry and the multicultural beauty that is the Philippines. In particular, he noted that there was a time when some in his native homeland might be less than welcoming towards his background. Such attitudes are now a distant memory.

Ignatius Jones's achievements in stage, production and entertainment are as vast, successful and interesting as the man himself—from being director of Vivid Sydney to the Sydney 2000 Olympic ceremonies, from the Mardi Gras to East Timor's independence celebrations, from the Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular to my earliest memories of him on Countdown fronting Jimmy and the Boys, lamenting They Won't Let My Girlfriend Talk To Me.

Sincere congratulations, Ignatius Jones. You are an adornment to the Filipino diaspora, as evidenced by the profound outpouring of affection that was on display on Saturday night and the esteem in which you are held by both the Filipino community and all Australians every other night. Those who honour you were honoured in return by your comment that, for all your awards, it is this one which is most treasured by you. Ignatius Jones, Mabuhay!