Motions

Filipino Settlement Coordinating Council of South Australia

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. J.S. Lee:

That this council—

1. Congratulates the Filipino Settlement Coordinating Council of South Australia (FSCCSA) on their work and contribution to the Filipino community of South Australia;

2. Pays tribute to the achievements made by the various Filipino community associations and community leaders based in South Australia; and

3. Acknowledges 120 years of Filipino settlement in Australia and the 70^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines.

(Continued from 1 November 2017.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (00:05): I rise to speak in support of this motion. Over the past 120 years, the South Australian Filipino community has enriched generations with valuable contributions and an irrepressible spirit. I have a close personal connection to the Philippines, having lived in a refugee camp on Palawan Island for one and a half years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Philippines and its people for their generosity towards not only me and my family but also thousands of other Vietnamese refugees over the years while their refugee status was being assessed and they were awaiting acceptance by another country.

The first Filipino migrants arrived in Australia in the late 19^th century to work as pearl divers or on the docks in Port Darwin. Small numbers of Filipinos began arriving in South Australia after World War II to work as nurses or to study. Migration increased dramatically in the seventies and eighties with the end of the White Australia policy, the expansion of the commonwealth Family Reunion Scheme and the overthrow of the Ferdinand Marcos regime. Today, the Philippines is the fourth biggest source country of South Australian migrants. Approximately half the Filipino population in South Australia has arrived since 2000, and the community continues to thrive.

Since its establishment in 2003, the Filipino Settlement Coordinating Council of South Australia has played a vital and valuable role in helping these new migrants settle into our state. As the peak body representing around 30 local Filipino organisations, the coordinating council connects people to much-needed settlement and welfare services by providing information, employment assistance and culturally specific support. It also promotes social connections, organising the annual Philippine Independence Day dinner dance and the SA Filipino achievers' awards, which recognise local heroes, people who reach out to help others and who tirelessly volunteer to strengthen our communities.

The Filipino community benefits from many strong, generous leaders. One such person is Cynthia Caird, chairperson of the coordinating committee, who assists Filipino families and manages refugee and migrant programs, and who established the Filipina Network of South Australia. Little wonder that she received the community sector award in the 2016 Governor's Multicultural Awards.

Another admirable example is Dr Reynaldo Dante Juanta, former Philippine honorary consul general in South Australia. He received an Order of Australia in 1991 for services to education, multiculturalism and the Filipino community in South Australia. I also commend the outstanding efforts of Rudy Gomez, whose discovery of the Carrapateena mine is providing employment opportunities for hundreds of South Australians. These are but three stars out of a bright Filipino constellation in our state.

The Filipino community is very active, with many organisations that enrich culture and language, clubs that bring people together in regions such as the Murraylands and Whyalla, and associations for youths and professionals. There are organisations that provide culturally tailored aged care, and they help people obtain housing, as well as religious groups catering to spiritual needs.

We welcome new arrivals from the Philippines as friends and as neighbours with a shared military legacy. Australian and Filipino armed forces joined together as comrades as part of the resistance to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.

The first diplomatic gesture occurred on 22 May 1946 when an Australian official named Herbert Peterson established the Australian Consulate General office in the Manila Hotel. The first official Philippine ambassador to Australia was His Excellency Dr Roberto Regala, who took up office in 1950. Since then, there have been 13 Philippine ambassadors to Australia, including the current ambassador, Her Excellency Ms Minda Calaguian-Cruz, who was appointed in 2016.

South Australia has an Honorary Consul General to the Philippines, Mark McBriarty, who works at Trinity Gardens. Every ambassador and consul, both here and in the Philippines, has contributed to a legacy of friendship and unity between our countries that endures today and grows into tomorrow. There is certainly much to celebrate on this occasion of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines. The government, therefore, supports this motion.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (00:11): I thank the Hon. Tung Ngo for his contribution in congratulating and acknowledging the great work of the community leaders within the Filipino community. I commend the motion to the chamber.

Motion carried.