Natural parents: North Australia-Philipines relations

Abstract

Relations between the Philippines and northern Australia date back to the early years of European settlement. Filipinos made a significant contribution to the development of north Australia throughout the nineteenth century, while a small number of Australians were involved in commerce in the Philippines. In north Australia, where some Filipinos intermarried with Aboriginal people and European settlers, this heritage is reflected in the incidence of Filipino names in present-day northern communities. In more recent years the Northern Territory, and to a lesser extent northern communities in Western Australia and Queensland, have come to see their futures inextricably linked to developments in the countries to their immediate north, particularly Indonesia and the Philippines, and have sought increasingly to strengthen social, cultural and sporting, as well as commercial, ties. For Australians, some commonalities of language, predominant religion, Western cultural experience, and democratic traditions have contributed to making the Philippines especially attractive as a place to visit and to do business with; for Filipinos, Australia has been seen since the 1970s as a desirable destination for migration and, increasingly, as a source of education and training. Over the past decade, trade between Australia and the Philippines has grown substantially, if from a low base, and the Philippines has become the fourth largest recipient of Australian. development assistance. For north Australia, trade with the Philippines is still small, and dominated by live cattle exports to the Philippines. This is in large part due to the small market and relatively low level of manufacturing activity which north Australia represents, but the infrequency and high cost of shipping and lack of direct air links are also major inhibiting factors. Nevertheless, the possibilities for expanded trade and investment flows, particularly through the provision of services and through joint ventures in small and medium-sized enterprises, appear to be considerable. With the issue of expanded commercial relations primarily in mind, and with a delegation from the Northern Territory about to visit the Philippines in conjunction with Australia's 'All the Best from Australia' presentation in Manila, a workshop on 'North Australia-Philippines Relations' was held at the Australian National University's North Australia Research Unit on 25 September 1998, in association with the Northern Territory University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies and the NT International Business Council. The workshop followed an earlier conference on 'Government-Business Relations Between Eastern Indonesia and the Northern Territory'. This volume is an outcome of the September 1998 workshop. An opening chapter by Philippines Minister and Consul General in Australia, Edwin Bael, provides an overview of relations between Australia and the Philippines, with particular reference to north Australia and the southern Philippine island of Mindanao (regions which share an interest in the development of the Brunei/ Indonesia! Malaysia/Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). Subsequent chapters by Dennis Shoesmith, R.J. May, and William Brummitt and Frances Perkins (the latter from the Department of Foreign Mfairs and Trade's East Asia Analytical Unit) review, respectively, the historical context of north Australia-Philippines relations and the political and economic contexts of the Philippines. Relations between the Northern Territory and the Philippines are surveyed in the chapter by Ian Watts, from the NT Department of Asian Relations, Trade and Industry (DART!). Darwin-resident businessman Pascual Tantengco then presents the viewpoint of a Filipino businessman operating in north Australia, while papers by Michael Kilgariff (of the NT International Business Council), William Cordingley, Steve Ellison, Chris Healey and Kym Handberg discuss various aspects of north Australian business and academic relations with the Philippines, including the live cattle trade, which has maintained its importance in the Australia-Philippines relationship notwithstanding the effects of the Asian financial crisis (which have severely affected the trade between Australia and Indonesia). Further chapters survey the role and functions of the Australia-Philippines Business Council, the principal features of trade relations between Australia and the Philipines, and the main components of Australia's development assistance programme in the Philippines. Finally, The Philippines Honorary Consul General for the Northern Territory, Robert Matthewson, provides an overview of the workshop proceedings and suggests some possible lines of future development. Collectively, the various papers give some indication of the extent and dynamics of north Australia-Philippines relations and point to the possibilities of a much more detailed study of the relationship. In organizing the workshop and bringing this volume to publication, I am indebted to my longstanding Filipinist NTU colleague, Dennis Shoesmith, and to the encouragement and support received from NARU director Christine Fletcher and NARU staff Janet Sincock, Melissa Sue and Paula Fennel; DARTI officers Ian Watts, Patrick Markwick-Smith, John McCue and Steve Sanderson; director of DFAT's Northern Territory office, Keith Gardiner(who presented the Brurmnitt and Perkins paper in the absence of the author) and Ross Ainsworth, of the Northern Territory Livestock Exporters Association, who was unable to attend the workshop due to commitments in the Philippines. Bill Cordingley, of Meat and Livestock Australia, though not present at the workshop, provided a paper at very short notice, and Aurora Quinn, of the Office of Ethnic Affairs, Department of the Chief Minister, Darwin, kindly agreed to the reproduction of sections of her 'Background on Philippines-born Territorians'. In Canberra, Claire Smith and Allison Ley carried the burden of converting a collection of written and recorded presentations into a publication, with characteristic efficiency.