Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Monday, I attended an event for the 125th anniversary of the Philippines' independence, commemorating the declaration of independence from Spain in 1898. I would like to acknowledge the importance of this historic declaration and all that the nation of the Philippines has achieved since. It was an honour to be a part of these celebrations, along with the Consul-General, Maria Lourdes Salcedo.

Notwithstanding the fact that the declaration occurred in 1898, it was to be another 48 years before the US relinquished any degree of sovereignty over the Philippines through the 1946 treaty of Manila. It made me reflect on the many similarities between our countries. Clearly, our dates of independence are quite similar: 1898 and 1 January 1901. Despite the fact that Australia became a nation in 1901 when the six British colonies federated, in a way that somewhat parallels the experience of the Philippines, at least on some dimensions, such as foreign policy, Australia didn't achieve full independence for some decades in practice. Indeed, formal relations with the Philippines were one of Australia's first formal relations with another country. We celebrate 77 years of formal relations with Manila this year and celebrated 75 years just two years ago. We established formal relations in May 1946.

However, informal relations date back to the mid-1800s, when the Philippines exported sugar to Australia, which was used to distil rum. In the 1860s, Filipinos came to work in northern Australia's pearling industry. They were called 'the Manila men', and comprised one of the oldest migrant groups in Australia.

To this day, the relationship between our countries remains strong, not only because of our geographical proximity but because we share many perspectives on regional, economic and security issues. We are both vibrant multicultural democracies within this region. We are both members of APEC. We both work together to ensure stability within this region.

The Filipino community is the fifth-largest cultural group in Australia and ranks much more highly within Fraser. Australia is the top destination for international students from the Philippines. More than 400,000 people in Australia have Filipino ancestry, many of whom have made their home in Melbourne's west. It is also noteworthy that the Filipino community has been one of the first cultural groups to advocate for a 'yes' vote in the referendum to recognise our Indigenous people in our Constitution.

I would like to acknowledge the importance of the Philippines declaration of independence and pay tribute to that country's many achievements as an independent democratic country and close ally of Australia.