Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that 2017 marks 70 years since the Philippines established its first diplomatic office in Australia;

(2) celebrates the strength of the bilateral diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines over those 70 years; and

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

It is with great pleasure that I move this motion today, and I thank the member for Werriwa for being willing to second the motion enthusiastically. The Filipino community is one of the largest and most energetic groups in the electorate of Chifley. People from the Philippines are the third-largest ancestry group in Chifley, with 18,000 calling the area home. That is over 10 per cent of the total population of the electorate. They make up 10 per cent of the 171,000 Filipinos in Australia. That has made Chifley, out of the 150 seats of the federal parliament, the seat with the largest number of Filipinos that reside within it, and I am working very hard to make sure it stays that way. I call many Filipinos in Western Sydney friends, and I have been so grateful for their support of me both as a candidate and as an MP.

The number of Filipino people moving into the country has accelerated since the 1980s. Many came to challenge themselves with higher education, with 10,000 Filipinos studying in Australia every year. Others have started small businesses to contribute to local economies across the nation, and more still have come as skilled migrants, adding valuable expertise to the Australian workforce. They make a contribution to the broader Australian community socially as well as economically. The diaspora is extremely active in community groups across the nation, many of which I have had the opportunity to engage with in Western Sydney.

There is always a danger singling out groups but I would like to make reference to a number of them in our area: the Association of Golden Australian Pilipinos Inc, or AGAPI; Sydney Australian-Filipino Seniors Inc, or SAFSI; Banag-Banag Inc; the Philippine Australian Community Services Inc, or PACSI; Bicol Incorporated; and the Philippine Community Council of New South Wales. There is also the important support provided by the Filipino chaplaincy of the Diocese of Parramatta. And it would be remiss of me not to give a shout-out to my friends who let me play basketball with them at the Rooty Hill Leisure Centre, many of them Filipinos, who are great players and pretty energetic. I am sorry if I have missed any, but there are so many active groups across our area. Filipinos in Australia are more likely to be employed, to have skilled managerial or professional occupations and to have completed higher education—all traits underlining the Filipino community's willingness and ability to contribute to Australia's prosperity and cohesion.

What we are celebrating today is Australia's relationship with the Philippines. It began in the 1800s. It was cemented in modern times when Philippines President Manuel L Quezon came to Australia in 1942 during World War II. More than 4,000 Australian service personnel fought alongside Filipino forces during World War II. Now we are celebrating 70 years since the Philippines opened its first diplomatic office in Australia—a massive milestone. In 1947, the Philippines established the first foreign mission in Sydney, kicking off a long and fruitful relationship. In 1948, Consul General Manuel A Alzate and eight officials opened the first consular office in Elizabeth Bay. That office was elevated to the status of embassy in 1956 with head of mission Roberto Regala becoming the first Philippine ambassador to Australia. The Philippine embassy then moved to Canberra in 1961, while the consulate remained in Sydney.

Seventy years on from the opening of that first office, I am delighted that the Philippine ambassador to Australia, Minda Calaguian-Cruz is here today—and I thank you for coming to this special occasion—accompanied by the ACT consul general, Nina Cainglet, and it is fantastic that she is also here today, and Sydney consul general, Anne Jalando-on Louis. I have had a great opportunity of working with Anne, as has the member for Werriwa, and seeing her at all the Filipino events across the years. Anne is returning shortly to the Philippines, and we thank her for her service.

Amanda Gorley is the Australian ambassador in the Philippines. This is the 71st year since Australia opened a consular office in Manila in 1946. Australia's people-to-people relationship with the Philippines remains strong. It will continue to do so in the future as more Filipinos come here to study and work and more Australian businesses reach into South-East Asia. Our nations work together to promote peace and stability in the region. The relationship will go from strength to strength.

Finally, I want to thank Filipinos living in Chifley, across Western Sydney and in the rest of Australia. May our next 70 years be just as strong as the first. I would like to thank them in a way that respects them deeply by saying, 'Maraming salamat mabuhay'.

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