Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Shadow Treasurer) | Hansard source

Tonight I rise to acknowledge a significant milestone in the life of Western Australia's Filipino community: the 40th anniversary of the Filipino Australian Club of Perth. For four decades, the club has served as a cornerstone of community life, bringing together generations of Filipino Australians, while strengthening the cultural, social and economic bonds between Australia and the Philippines. Established in 1986, the Perth Filipino Australian club was founded on a simple but enduring vision: to provide a place where Filipino migrants and their families could gather, celebrate their heritage, support one another and build a strong future in their adopted home. Forty years later, that vision continues to thrive.

The club has played a vital role in preserving and promoting Filipino culture, through community events, festivals, language, music, dance and the celebration of important national and cultural occasions. It has helped new arrivals settle into life in Australia, fostered lifelong friendships and provided a welcoming environment for countless families. Importantly, the club has also contributed to the broader Western Australian community by encouraging cultural understanding, inclusion and community participation.

The Filipino community is one of the fastest-growing and most vibrant of the multicultural communities in Australia and in Western Australia. Across WA, Filipino Australians make an enormous contribution in fields as diverse as health care, education, small business, mining, hospitality, aged care and public service. Their contribution extends well beyond the workplace. Filipino Australians enrich our communities through their strong commitment to family, faith, volunteerism, civic engagement and those Australian values that unite us.

Milestones such as this provide an opportunity not only to celebrate an organisation's achievements, but also to recognise the people whose dedication made them possible. Generations of volunteers, community members, community leaders and supporters have invested countless hours to ensure the club's success and longevity.

I'd like to acknowledge one particular supporter of the Filipino community in Western Australia, and that is one Western Australian icon known to every Western Australian. His name is Mr John Hughes, and he and his wife have been tireless supporters of the Filipino community across Western Australia. For those of us from Western Australia, you'll understand what I'm about to say: just over the Causeway, on Shepperton Road, Victoria Park.