Pat Conroy (Shortland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the member for Chifley, I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that 2021 marks 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines;

(2) celebrates the strength of the bilateral diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines over those 75 years;

(3) reaffirms the strong relationship between Australia and the Philippines; and

(4) acknowledges the importance of effective diplomatic relations with the Philippines, which are underpinned by our shared history and deep enduring relationship.

I proudly second the member for Chifley's formal motion, which goes to celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the great nation of the Philippines. It's a testament to the work of the member for Chifley and the member for Greenway in their local communities around the Blacktown area of Sydney, which has probably the greatest concentration of Filipino Australians in Australia. I pay tribute to their fine work in that area.

This motion celebrates the strength of the bilateral diplomatic relationship, reaffirms the importance of the relationship and acknowledges the shared history and deep, enduring friendship between our two countries. Diplomatic relations were established in the aftermath of a global war which cost both our nations—indeed, all the nations of the Asia-Pacific—dearly. It was a relationship forged in battle. The Leyte landings in the Philippines were one of the decisive battles of the war in the Pacific. More than 4,000 Australian soldiers took part in the landings and in the campaign to liberate the Philippines during 1944 and 1945. In several actions, escaped Australian prisoners of war fought alongside Filipino guerrilla forces on Mindanao, and, after the war, Australia opened its first diplomatic mission in Manila in May 1946—only a few weeks before the proclamation of independence for the Philippines.

In Australia, the Chifley government's vision for a postwar future for Australia rested on forging new diplomatic, political and economic relationships in our emerging post-colonial society. In the Philippines, the country's leaders saw Australia as a natural partner for the Filipino people as the country became an independent nation looking to rebuild a land levelled by war. In fact, President Roxas said: 'Inalienable human rights mean the same thing in Melbourne as in Manila—democracy, free elections, a secret ballot, free speech, free press and free assembly. All of these have an identical significance for our two countries.' On the next day, the Australian Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, responded with a message congratulating President Roxas on the inauguration of Filipino independence.

And so Australia and the Philippines embarked on their journey of postwar reconstruction as friends and partners. Over the decades since that moment, the relationship has flourished and expanded. Part of that is a strong development relationship. Australia will provide $79 million in development assistance to the Philippines in 2021-22. That assistance supports programs to improve the health, education and economic welfare of people in the Philippines.

Of course, there are extensive people-to-people links. The richness of Australia's multicultural society has been enhanced by the presence of a large, vibrant, hardworking Filipino community in this country. As at June 2020 there were 310,000 persons born in the Philippines living in Australia, making Filipinos Australia's fifth-largest migrant community. I want to acknowledge the contribution of the Filipino community in my electorate of Shortland, particularly the Filipino-Australian Society of the Hunter Valley, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

One of the highlights of my year as a member of parliament is the celebration of Philippines Independence Day. This celebration is one of the few community events that is a must-attend for myself and my wife, Keara. We always enjoy the warmth and hospitality of FASHV members at this special celebration. I'm also proud that FASHV have their headquarters in Shortland and I'm very pleased to have supported them over the years, most recently with a grant of solar panels for their hall. While our community might not be as big as the one around Blacktown in Sydney, we're proud to have the only Filipino Australian owned community hall in the country. It's a great local claim to fame.

I want to spend the remaining seconds acknowledging that one of the great professions that Filipino Australians are overrepresented in is nursing and health care. They do tremendous work in our hospitals and our aged-care homes, and during the COVID pandemic they risked their lives every single day in making sure every Australian had access to quality health care. This is a testament to the commitment of Filipino Australians to this country, to making this country a better place and to helping their homeland of the Philippines as well. On the anniversary of our relationship, I want to say: thank you so much for your continued support to make these two great countries even better.

Trent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the outset I want to acknowledge the eloquent words of the member for Shortland. We don't always agree, but I certainly do agree on this count and agree with his remarks about what Filipinos have done in aged care particularly—specifically, as he quite correctly pointed out, saving lives, essentially putting their own lives at risk so that Australians could have quality aged care in their retirement, in their golden twilight years.

This is an important debate and I am very pleased to speak on this milestone occasion. The Riverina and Central West, which I proudly represent, are home to many Filipino Australians, who I know have a great affinity to their homeland as well as their adoptive country that they now call home, Australia. Wagga Wagga, for example, is known for its vibrant Filipino community, and I can vouch for and attest to that very point, having attended a number of multicultural events over the past 11 years celebrating the Filipino culture, their food, music and dance. In 2019 I attended the celebrations of Philippines independence at Henschke Catholic Primary School. I'm familiar with the school, and I recall that great celebrations were had. In June this year, prior to the imposition of COVID restrictions, the Filipino Catholic community of Wagga Wagga diocese gathered and celebrated in style the 123rd anniversary of their country's independence. Whilst I was disappointed at not being able to attend, I know there was a carnival atmosphere of celebration, as you would expect.

Wagga Wagga, where I call home, was declared a Rotary peace city on 23 February 1993, a concept conceived by Kooringal Rotarian Tony Quinlivan. It was the first peace city to be declared anywhere in the world. The second was Manila in the Philippines, being declared a peace city on 22 June 1994. This speaks volumes to me about the types of people who inhabit both places and highlights an important connection between values, between traditions and between the outlook of the world that both Australians and Filipinos certainly share—peace-loving people, people who celebrate diversity, people who celebrate democracy. Data available in 2020 showed that 9.4 per cent of the Wagga Wagga population were born overseas, with the Philippines being one of the top five countries where people born overseas originate from, the others being the United Kingdom, India, New Zealand and China. There are many more, of course. We actually fly more than 100 flags; on Australia Day we celebrate 100 different nations. Many regional communities and many metropolitan communities, such as your own, Mr Deputy Speaker Zimmerman, are cradles of multiculturalism. We are very diverse communities.

The contribution Filipino workers make to local industries in the Riverina should also be very much emphasised. I know there are hundreds of Filipinos who work in all manner of local industry, with a great number employed by Teys in Wagga Wagga and by other endeavours as well. The Philippines consulate has made visits to Wagga Wagga to assist those living and working in the city. But it's not just Wagga Wagga; it's right across the vast Riverina electorate. I want to highlight a friend of mine, Irene Broad. Irene was elected to Temora Shire Council in 2004. She was re-elected in 2008. She served until 2012. What a wonderful person she is. I spoke to the mayor of Temora this morning, Councillor Rick Firman, who talked about Irene's grace and warmth. He's right, of course. Irene says she is the first Filipino migrant to be elected to Australian public life, as in local government, and the SBS confirms that she is considered to be so. She provided some wonderful input to Temora. Her contribution to Australian life is reflected by Filipinos all around our great nation. They contribute mightily. Of course, Australia's two-way goods and services trade with the Philippines was worth $5.6 billion in 2019. It's not just culture; it's also trade and friendship. The bottom line is friendship, mateship.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion moved by the member for Chifley. I thank him for bringing this matter before the House today and I thank the previous speakers for their wonderful comments about our very vibrant Filipino diaspora in Australia. Macarthur, my electorate, is home to a really vibrant community of Filipino Australians who enrich our society in many, many ways. We have a very multicultural community in Macarthur; around 30 per cent of our population were born overseas, and around 5,000 of those are Filipino Australians. They certainly enrich our community and help us make Macarthur a wonderful place to live, work and learn in.

This is a momentous year for relations between Australia and the Philippines as we commemorate 75 years of diplomatic ties between our two nations. I take this opportunity to thank Macarthur's Filipino community for the incredible work they do. They work in a whole range of industries—in particular, the healthcare industry, of which I'm a part. Macarthur is very proud of our Filipino connections. Many Macarthur residents, particularly around Rosemeadow, Ambarvale and surrounding suburbs, will be familiar with Rizal Park, but many may not know of its connections to the Philippines. Jose Rizal is an icon to Filipinos and also to Filipino Australians. Like me, he was a doctor; he was an ophthalmologist. He was a polymath; whatever he turned his hand to he was good at. He was considered to be the national hero of the Philippines—in the Tagalog language, the pambansang bayani. He was noteworthy for his role in bringing about the political reforms which ultimately led to Philippine independence. Unfortunately he lost his life in that struggle. He is rightly recognised in Macarthur through Rizal Park, and I have been to many functions there with our very vibrant Filipino community. This park also houses an iconic monument to this historic figure. In 2012, Macarthur was pleased to welcome the former president of the Philippines, His Excellency Benigno S Aquino III, who opened the monument during his tenure in Australia. More recently, we were pleased to host the Consul-General of the Philippines to commemorate Rizal Day.

As a mentioned earlier, Macarthur is home to a growing number of Filipino Australians. There are too many to mention them all, but many of them make an invaluable contribution to our society and I just want to single out a few of them—first of all, my very good friend and Campbelltown City Labor councillor Rey Manoto. Ray is a telecommunications engineer and he gave his expertise to our community in that role. Now he is a local icon of our community, a Campbelltown councillor, and has served the community well since his election in 2016. Secondly, I want to thank Dr Jimmy Lopez for his invaluable work in our community. Jimmy is a wonderful leader of our local Filipino community, and I want to thank him for his work, particularly with community organisations like the NARRA Co-op and Sedgwick Housing.

Filipino Australians make invaluable contributions to our community, particularly in health care. Among them are many of our nursing staff, some of our paediatricians and many of our GPs who work in our community providing health care and have done so for many years. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, they've provided invaluable service throughout our health care, including our hospitals, our general practices, our aged care and our disability care. I want to thank in particular Ms Lynn Santiago, who's been leading in one of our disability organisations to provide care for some of our most vulnerable.

In summary, our community is enriched by our Filipino Australians in Macarthur. I look forward to working with them. I thank them for the service they've given our community, particularly in health care, and I look forward to attending many more functions at the beautiful Rizal Park on top of the hill overlooking our Campbelltown community. I'm very proud to say that our Filipino Australians in Macarthur are my friends and have provided wonderful support to me throughout my time in political life.

Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Chifley for bringing to the House this important motion, which commemorates or recognises 75 years of the diplomatic relationship between Australia and the Philippines. I gave a speech on this in February this year as that date approached. I am the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Philippines, along with the member for Solomon, and I thank him for his support in that role. We've had a number of meetings in this place with the very gracious and well attuned ambassador of the Philippines, Madam Hellen De La Vega. In fact, she hosted the parliamentary friends group for dinner in June, and that was delightful.

This has been seen as a very important day by the people of the Philippines. Australia is a longstanding and trusted friend. Perhaps that loyalty was founded in the battles of World War II, in which, of course, the Philippines was a hotly contested piece of territory which was invaded in 1941 and occupied almost until the end of the war. The final cessation of that came with the declaration of victory in the Pacific on 2 September 1945. The next year, on 4 July 1946, the Philippines was declared an independent nation—that is, independent from the US, of which it had been a colony for more than 40 years. It is interesting that that date, 4 July, which is American Independence Day as well, had been determined 10 years earlier. So there had been the agreement and then the interruption by the war, but eventually that time frame was still met. I think it was quite an achievement for the political leaders of the Philippines to hold to that time frame, even though they had had a period of over three years when they were not in control of their country. Australia was one of the very first nations to recognise the Philippines as an independent nation. In fact, we granted a diplomatic relationship on 2 May, prior to them becoming independent in a full sense.

The Philippines today is a nation of 107 million people, and our relationship has grown. There are lots of reasons for that, but I think the reasons are partly based on the foundation of the Colombo Plan, which served not only Australia but so many nations in Asia and the Pacific so well for so many years. Future leaders were educated in Australia and built this strong relationship, which is the foundation on which we build our relationship today.

There are 294,000 Filipinos or thereabouts resident in Australia. Thank you to the member for Riverina for pointing out the vital role they play in our caring services. When I'm speaking to Filipino groups, I often say: 'You make great Australians. You bring so many advantages to this nation: you are very conversant with English, you come from a Christian background, your nation's laws are based on the same type of democracy as ours, and you believe in democracy and in those fundamental rights of each and every human.' That makes them easier than some other ethnic groups to integrate into Australian society, and they do it seamlessly and become part of the broader church that is Australia.

They are not only in the caring services, though. If I look at my own electorate, and at Whyalla and Roxby Downs in particular, they provide a lot of expertise in the engineering and mining services, and their skills and work ethic are highly valued. The member for Riverina touched on the almost $6 billion two-way trade we have now, which is the 19th largest in the world. They had a growing economy prior to COVID of about 6.3 per cent per annum. Despite the fact that it contracted by 9.6 per cent, it is anticipated that that the six per cent mark is well achievable and they are on the way back. There's $10 billion worth of Australian investment in the Philippines. That employs 44,000 Filipinos, which is good for both nations—without a doubt.

The Pacific is an unsettled area of the world, and Australia seeks to deepen our relationships with all countries that share our values—countries that are democratic, that believe in freer trade, that follow the international rules that are in place and that believe in the free movement of people and respect for human rights. In the Philippines, we have a great partner. I think this relationship will continue to grow and flourish, and I thank them for their friendship.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Magandang umaga—good morning. It's a great pleasure to propose this resolution with the member for Shortland and join members on both sides of the House who are speaking in celebrating 75 years of formal diplomatic connection with the Philippines. With enormous pride I emphasise to the House that the Filipino-Australian community constitutes one of the biggest and most vibrant in the Chifley electorate. Over 20,000 Filipino Australians live in Chifley, almost 10 per cent of the electorate. I like to think that the size and energy of the Filipino-Australian community in the Chifley electorate form a tremendous anchor point, tethering our nation to the Philippines.

I'm grateful for the community's support and honoured to call many of you my friends. To every Filipino Australian in my area I make this personal, emphatic point: I admire profoundly your humility, hard work, compassion and respect for family and community—always there with a laugh and great humour. The warmth of your friendship is something to treasure. You and your fellow Filipino Australians have made, and continue to make, extraordinary contributions to the quality of life for the people of Western Sydney and beyond, whether it be through setting up small businesses that contribute to the local economy, the contribution made by so many local groups, from FILSPARC to AGAPI and from SAFSI to PASCCI, or the spiritual support provided by the Filipino chaplaincy of the diocese of Parramatta. And we cannot forget the Philippine Community Council, who are celebrating 30 years of service this year. Thank you.

Never have connections across cultures been more important than now. In times of crisis, such as those that the COVID-19 pandemic presents, we must hold tight to the ties that bind us. Australia and the Philippines are inextricably connected by our shared interests and values. Australia's culture of mateship is mirrored in the Philippine's tradition of bayanihan, the civic spirit of community for which Filipino culture is known, referring to the practice of neighbours literally carrying another neighbour's house to safe ground. In many ways, this is reflected by the thousands of Filipino families who crossed oceans and land to migrate to Australia, especially since the 1980s, coming here and contributing to their new neighbourhoods while also looking after family back home.

The 75 years of diplomatic relations between our nations represents one of our country's longest-standing bilateral relationships—75 years of growth, friendship and camaraderie, notably cemented during World War Two, when 4,000 Australian service personnel fought alongside Filipino forces in one of the most decisive battles of the Second World War: the Leyte landings of 1944. The Australian embassy in Manila opened in 1946. The Philippines established their first foreign mission in Sydney a year later. The next year, the first consular office was opened in Elizabeth Bay, later elevated to the status of embassy in 1956. Roberto Regala was the first to serve as Philippine Ambassador to Australia. Since then, the vigour and energy of the diplomatic relationship and its representation have been something to admire, adding so much to our friendship. I also thank the scores of members of the Australian diplomatic corps for their dedication to this special bilateral relationship. From the ambassadors to their consul generals and their teams, the Filipino representatives are among the most active of the diplomatic corps, present at so many functions. We really hoped to have the Philippines Ambassador to Australia, Her Excellency Madam Hellen Barber De La Vega, present on the floor of the House, but COVID restrictions checked our ambitions here. I know she's watching today. I thank her for her hard work and effort, as I do with the other representatives past and present, with special mention to the tireless former consul-general Anne Jalando-on Louis, for whom I have deep respect and admiration.

Speaking of the ambassador, we were fortunate to have Her Excellency Consul-General Melanie Rita Diano join us at the Doonside Community Centre in June to celebrate this important 75-year milestone. The day was full of great Pinoy food from Mount Druitt's Pabico and Mama Lor in Rooty Hill. We are thankful for a beautiful presentation by Benjie de Ubago which paid tribute to Australian-Filipino pioneers, along with a blessing from Reverend Father Evergisto Bernaldez and terrific performances from AGAPI, SAFSI and Jojo Sebastian. I'd be remiss to let this opportunity pass without acknowledging the work of Chifley community contributor Lina Cabaero. I spoke of Lina's contributions earlier in the year and we recently farewelled her. I hope my words today restate my respect for her service.

Regardless of our politics, I think many of us here wholeheartedly believe in the relationship between Australia and the Philippines. We think this will continue to strengthen because we've seen with our own eyes the efforts of the community here, what they do and what they stand for. Thank you for your continued work. Salamat and mabuhay.

Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, member for Chifley. Salamat indeed. Without doubt the most vibrant community on the Northern Beaches is the Filipino community. They are active and engaged in our local community, and, I'm happy to say—although I bear the scars—they have the best celebrations of all the people of all the community groups in our area. There are very few celebrations where you're asked to turn up for just half an hour, just drop in, and six hours later you find yourself up on the stage dancing and feeling worse for wear at the end of it. Fortunately, there is no video of this incident, and if video does emerge I will pay cash to see that it is never published! Making it worse, of course, is the fact that I was absolutely sober and have no excuse for my behaviour on that day.

I'm often asked, 'Where will you find the Filipino community on the Northern Beaches?' The answer is often at St Kevin's Dee Why at 8 am on a Sunday morning. The Filipino community shares some of the great values of so many migrant groups that have come to this country. They have a love of family. As the member for Chifley mentioned, they have a love of education. They understand the importance of thrift and saving. They love this country. Their belief in fairness, justice, and reward for effort is seen in everything that they do.

It is therefore not unremarkable that our two nations would find themselves celebrating today, the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, because our friendship is enduring; it is based so much on shared values as opposed to shared interests. The Philippines and Australia find themselves with a sense of mutual respect and understanding. We're anchored in a shared vision of not only both nations but the region in which we find ourselves and which we share as one that is open, inclusive and therefore prosperous and resilient.

The relationship has been defined by the Filipino spirit of—I apologise up-front for my pronunciation of this—bayanihan and the Australian tradition of mateship. We have stood by each other in good times and bad, beginning with Australia's support for the Philippines' campaign for liberation during World War II. Over the past 75 years, the relationship has gone from strength to strength, built on a strong foundation of people-to-people links. Our historic people-to-people links are exemplified in the following statistics; I think some of these have been mentioned in some of the previous speeches, but they're worth reiterating.

Filipinos worked in the pearling industries in Broome and Thursday Island as far back at the 1870s. Filipino Colombo Plan scholars began arriving on our shores from the 1950s. Thousands of Filipinos have been educated in Australia, and their leadership has contributed to the strengthening of our ties. And 44,000 Filipinos are employed by over 300 Australian companies in the Philippines.

The significant number of Filipinos who have emigrated to Australia since the 1960s now comprise the fifth-largest immigrant community in Australia. They have brought different perspectives, experiences and skills that have enriched the Australian community. Our close bilateral relationship serves us both well as we seek to tackle regional issues and the social and economic impact of the pandemic. The relationship has grown to encompass development and assistance—things like lifesaving work during the pandemic and after natural disasters, constructive engagement on human rights, support for peace-building efforts in Mindanao and collaborative law enforcement efforts to combat online sexual exploitation of children and women.

Our trade and investment links are now deep and broad, resulting in a bilateral trade relationship worth over $6 billion before COVID, which made the Philippines our 19th largest trading partner. At the same time, total Australian investment was valued at over $10 billion. Cooperation and the support of rules based multilateral agencies and the system continue to grow and deepen. Our defence and security cooperation is one of the features of our relationship with the Philippines. There are few nations in our region that we have a closer, more abiding and enduring friendship with than the Philippines, and their community in our nation make a contribution that far exceeds their numbers.

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to speak on the motion moved by the members for Chifley and Shortland. This motion celebrates the strength of bilateral diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines over the last 75 years and acknowledges the importance of effective diplomatic relations for both countries. Together, Australia and the Philippines have signed 120 agreements aimed at promoting political security and economic and cultural cooperation.

In 1901 an early Australian census identified approximately 700 Filipinos who worked on trading ships and in the pearling industry across Australia. Not long after, and during, the Second World War the Leyte landings operation was launched as part of the Philippines campaign. Australian POWs who fought alongside Filipino guerrillas were just another foreshadowing of the shoulder-to-shoulder cooperation which is now treasured by our nations. It was not long after that the Australian and Philippine ties were formally established with diplomatic relations. These relations ensured that our two countries would always have a close relationship, and that relationship is not based on our geographical location but mainly because of our shared history and values and community.

Our friendship with the Philippines is one of Australia's longest-standing bilateral relationships. Seventy-five years ago formal relations commenced with the opening of Australia's first consul general in Manilla in May 1946. More recently, in 2015, the signing of the joint declaration of the Philippines-Australia comprehensive partnership marked a new era for relations between our two great nations. The partnership acknowledged our increasing cooperation and the history of the relationship and reinforced our relationship for years to come.

Australia's relationship with the Philippines has facilitated one of Australia's largest development assistance programs in our history. Over 30 years Australia has supported the delivery of quality basic education, significantly improving the lives of Filipino children. This includes assistance in the classroom, reconstruction and making education accessible for all. Australia also helps to build effective and accountable public institutions, including supporting civil and academic organisations that benefit the Filipino public in general. Not only does this support the social development of the Philippines but it also spurs economic development.

The Australian Embassy in 2013 reported that the two-way trade between our countries is valued at approximately $3 billion per annum, with more than 200 Australian companies in the Philippines making a significant contribution to both economies. As a longstanding and committed partner, Australia is happy to name the people of the Philippines as friends.

The theme of the 75th anniversary is mateship and bayanihan. Bayanihan is the Filipino ideal similar to the Australian tradition of mateship. It is the notion of friendship, solidarity and coming together. That mateship was personified by migration. During the 1980s, migration between the two countries increased significantly. Western Sydney is now home to 28 per cent of all Tagalog speakers in Australia. People of Filipino descent are one of my electorate's largest and fastest-growing population groups, with over 3,000 people in Werriwa born in the Philippines. Of course, this doesn't include the thousands of children born in Australia to Filipino parents, who still maintain strong links to that culture. Retaining culture and heritage is one of the many practices which make Western Sydney and my community great. The Filipino community in Australia is continuing to grow. With more than 250,000 Filipinos now calling Australia home, it is the sixth largest migrant community in Australia.

Australia's deep relationship with the Philippines has delivered important cultural and community links. An example of this contribution is that of Councillor Rey Manoto, a councillor for the last five years at Campbelltown City Council. Councillor Manoto has always displayed his unwavering commitment to those in his community who are less fortunate and is a fantastic representative of Filipino Australians in South-Western Sydney. Werriwa and Western Sydney would not be the same without the contributions from Councillor Manoto and all of his community. I thank them so much for the opportunity to go to their events. They are—as a previous member said—wonderful, vibrant events.

Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to speak in favour of this motion this morning, because Australia's ties with the Philippines are incredibly strong and important. That's true on a national level, but it's also true on a local level. I want to start by acknowledging my own electorate's ties with the Philippines and those of Filipino heritage who have decided to call North Queensland their home. Filipinos make up 1.2 per cent of the population of the city of Townsville, which is slightly higher than the regional Queensland average of one per cent. In fact, the first Filipinos to come to Queensland came via North Queensland: the Manila men, who worked as pearl divers in the Torres Strait Islands. Over the years, waves of migrant Filipino workers have flowed through critical industries such as mining, engineering, health services and the digital economy. Today there are more than 50,000 Filipinos in Queensland and a Filipino student population of more than 4,000. Queensland hosts the third-largest Filipino community all over Australia.

Not only does the Filipino community make an important contribution to our economy but it also makes an important contribution to our community. That was evident to me personally earlier this year, in June, when I had the privilege and the pleasure of being at the official opening of the Filipino Festival day in Townsville. This fantastic event is run by the Filipino Australian Affiliation of North Queensland, which has a proud history of more than 38 years representing the community in Townsville. I want to pay tribute to Ms Hamilton, the president of the affiliation, for all her hard work on the festival, which was a great display of arts, culture and cuisine. These local community connections are the sort of things that our fantastic diplomatic relationship over the years has helped foster. There is a lot of goodwill between our countries and our people, so it's great to be able to be a part of that and mark the 75th anniversary of these relations in this place this morning.

The relationship between the two countries extends right back into the Second World War, when Australians and Filipinos fought side by side in the 1944 and 1945 campaign that liberated the Philippines from Japanese occupation. The relationship was important then, as it is now. The Philippines occupies a strategically important position in South-East Asia, and we share common security interests. We established a joint declaration on the comprehensive partnership in 2015, as we share common perspectives on many regional economic and security issues. We have significant defence and security cooperation, including on counterterrorism, maritime security capability and domain awareness, as well as joint exercises and growing cooperation on cyber affairs and critical technology.

We know that terrorist organisations are based in the southern Philippines, including some with links to the Islamic State East Asia. We remember, very tragically, how several militant groups joined forces to launch attacks in May 2017. This took a tragic toll. By September 2017, the conflict had displaced around 350,000 people and resulted in the deaths of more than a thousand. I've seen firsthand the effects of what terrorist organisations are capable of in the Middle East, and I know just how destructive these groups can be. So it was appropriate that we, as a nation, increase our support for counterterrorism capacity building. That is mainly delivered by Defence and the Australian Federal Police and other security agencies, and many have served in the Philippines from the 3rd Brigade based in Townsville.

Our two countries have cooperation in multilateral forums, particularly through ASEAN. Most recently the relationship was further solidified through the development of the Philippines-Australia Plan of Action 2021-2022, to reflect the current dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region and more mature bilateral relationships. The plan of action identifies existing and new forms of cooperation to broaden the bilateral relationship, including Australia's support for the country's COVID-19 response and contribution to their economic recovery. This plan covers trade, industry and investment, development cooperation, education, skills and more. I want to touch on some of the defence and security cooperations. It will be important for the bilateral joint defence cooperation committee to continue to meet annually to discuss defence cooperation, mutual strategic interests and challenges, information sharing and planning, and both parties will benefit.

The Australian-Philippines relationship is incredibly important. On this day, the 75th anniversary, there's a lot to celebrate and look forward to in the future.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Chifley for putting forward this motion recognising the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations with the Philippines. I also want to acknowledge the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of the Philippines group, Rowan Ramsey, the member for Grey. I'm proud to be a co-chair with Rowan. I'm sure I can speak for the member for Grey: we were very proud to speak at an event at the Philippines embassy about five months ago now commemorating this anniversary of our bilateral relationship.

Australia and the Philippines have a strong and productive relationship, one which continues to grow stronger and closer. Our two great nations are united in our dedication to democracy and our common commitment to a safe, stable and secure region. Of course, our relationship goes back in history, as our forces fought side by side during the Second World War. We have much to be thankful to the Philippines for here in this country. Filipino Australians continue to make outstanding contributions to our national life, including in my own community back home in Darwin and Palmerston and, more broadly, across the NT.

In August we had the Barrio Fiesta, and today I spoke with Emcille, the President of the Filipino Australian Association of the Northern Territory, and she asked me to invite you all to the Barrio Fiesta next year in August 2022, when hopefully we're all open and able to travel. It will be the silver jubilee of the Barrio Fiesta, so 25 years. This year I was not able to make it as I was in quarantine coming back from Canberra after the sittings, but it was a great night, and they tried something new this year with an outdoor stage, and they played a lot of traditional games, including 'itsa, itsa', which literally means 'throw, throw'. This is basically a coin toss game where the kids and anyone who wants to play get in there and throw a coin into the next square, and there are prizes. It's a traditional game, and it was a great evening. I also want to put in an ad for them in that there will be a Philippines festival in the CBD of Darwin next year in addition to the Barrio Fiesta. The Barrio Fiesta is always held at the Filipino club in Marrara, and everyone's invited to that. But also there'll be another opportunity to attend the Philippines festival in the heart of the Darwin CBD. I look forward to giving the House and everyone listening more information on that in due course.

I want to thank all the members of the Filipino Australian community for the important roles that they have played and continue to play during this pandemic. They're essential to the health services that we provide to all Territorians, and they're a very valued part of our community. I want to mention a person who is important to me and to my family in particular—a Filipino Australian called Apple. We were in the choir together at St Mary's Cathedral in Darwin. She is a wonderful singer, and she's an awesomely loving person who takes my own children, gives them a hug and loves them as if they were her own grandchildren. That is indicative of the love and respect that the Filipino community have for their friends and for strangers, and we saw that during the pandemic. When we had lockdowns, the Filipino community got together and fed international students, regardless of where they'd come from. It's a good example, I think, of not only how important they are to our community but how loved they are in our community, and we want to see more Filipinos come to Australia and settle.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the next day for the next sitting.