Opposition Leader Peter Dutton delivers his speech prior to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos' historical remark as the first Filipino President to address the Australian Parliament on Thursday, Feb. 29.
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00:00 I give the call to the Honourable the Leader of the Opposition.
00:04 Thank you very much Mr Speaker.
00:05 Well I commend the Prime Minister for his very fine words.
00:08 On behalf of the Coalition and Federal Opposition I extend to you President Marcos a very warm
00:14 and hearty welcome and greetings.
00:17 Your Excellency to you, to Her Excellency First Lady Marcos and to the entire Republic
00:22 of the Philippines delegation.
00:25 Australia welcomes you, our Parliament welcomes you and of course our people warmly welcome
00:29 you.
00:30 Millions of Australians will watch your address today Mr President and when they do they will
00:35 not only see the face of a foreign leader they will hear the words of a dear friend
00:39 of Australia.
00:40 And if words carry sentiments across land and sea then to you and through you Mr President
00:46 I send my best wishes to the friendly, faith fortified and fearless people of the Philippines.
00:52 Seventy eight years ago in the main square of Manila an American flag was lowered and
00:56 the flag of the Philippines was raised.
00:59 As a new Republic was born a newly inaugurated President addressed his countrymen and marked
01:04 the forward thrust of the frontiers of freedom.
01:08 It was on that day the 4th of July 1946 when President Rojas joyfully declared that the
01:14 Filipino people had reached the summit of the high mountain of independence.
01:19 It was indeed a long and arduous historic climb from ancient communities occupying a
01:24 vast archipelago to colonial rule under the Spanish, from a revolt against the Spanish
01:30 to becoming the subjects of the United States, from occupation under the Imperial Japanese
01:35 forces to American liberation and the final steps of stewardship towards sovereignty.
01:43 When President Rojas delivered his speech he knew the challenges of nation building
01:47 that awaited his fellow Filipinos.
01:50 Twenty weeks earlier he'd outlined the hurdles ahead.
01:54 A country in ruins from war, a people beset by unemployment, hunger, disease, inflation
02:00 and housing inadequacy.
02:02 Yet the President at the time was optimistic.
02:04 He said if we conquer the obstacles which bar our way our people will grow great in
02:08 the eyes of men.
02:10 The Philippines aspires to greatness.
02:13 President Marcos today you lead a nation and people who no longer need to aspire to greatness
02:18 because the Philippines is a great country by any measure of the word.
02:24 Your nation and your people are truly great in the eyes of Australians.
02:28 Indeed only 33 years after your country attained independence our 22nd Prime Minister was on
02:33 your soil attending a dinner hosted by your father, President Marcos Senior.
02:39 Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser spoke with admiration about the development of the Philippines and
02:43 described Manila as one of the great cities of the world.
02:48 Mr President the bonds between our peoples were forged amidst the hell of the Second
02:52 World War.
02:53 Within the Australian national consciousness is an enduring admiration for both our nation's
02:58 forebears who served and sacrificed to liberate the Philippines.
03:03 As the Prime Minister rightly pointed out a handful of Australian prisoners of war escaped
03:07 from Borneo to your islands and joined your guerrillas.
03:12 Thousands more of our sailors, airmen and signals intelligence officers supported General
03:17 Douglas MacArthur's military operation.
03:20 Indeed at the MacArthur Memorial Landing Park in Leyte the names of 92 Australians who gave
03:25 their lives for liberation are recorded on a monument.
03:30 Ever so poignantly only last year the wreck of the prisoner ship SS Montevideo Maru was
03:37 found on the northern coast of the Philippines.
03:41 If there is any solace in that tragedy it is that almost 1,000 Australian souls have
03:47 their resting place in the waters which belong to our Filipino friends.
03:52 From our partnership in war has emerged a camaraderie between our two peoples.
03:58 In the 1950s under the Colombo Plan Filipino students came to this country to further their
04:03 education.
04:04 The 1970s saw many Filipinos migrate to Australia for work.
04:09 First generations beget subsequent generations and today Mr President our nation is so proud
04:15 to be home to more than 400,000 Australians of Filipino ancestry.
04:20 Indeed Filipino born migrants constitute one of our largest migrant groups.
04:25 Just as Australia is home to many Filipinos the Philippines is home of course to many
04:29 Australians.
04:31 And importantly Mr President the pipeline between our two countries flows seamlessly
04:35 both ways, a pipeline which carries people, businesses and commerce.
04:41 The term 'friend-shoring' might be new but deepening trade and investment with long-standing
04:46 and trusted partners who share the same values is not a new concept.
04:52 And in these uncertain times Mr President there is much that Australia and the Philippines
04:57 can continue to do to strengthen our supply chains.
05:02 As you correctly observed during your address at the Centre for Strategic and International
05:06 Studies last year, economic security is national security.
05:11 And of course Mr President we find ourselves in times of emboldened autocrats and belligerent
05:16 regimes who show utter contempt for sovereignty, law and liberty.
05:21 Your country shows and knows a resolve because your country knows that the threats are real.
05:31 For many years the Philippines has been on the front line subjected to grey zone activities.
05:37 And I commend you for your personal resolve Mr President, for you and your country's courage
05:41 in calling out acts of coercion and the Philippines' steadfast commitment to international law.
05:48 Last year you received much applause for your remark in your State of the Nation address
05:52 when you said, "We will protect our sovereign rights and preserve our territorial integrity
05:58 in defence of a rules-based international order."
06:02 Mr President, these words of yours encapsulate an imperative for all nations who cherish
06:07 peace, prosperity and the preservation of civilisation itself.
06:12 Together then with our many partners and friends in the region, we must all continue to speak
06:16 up with courage in calling out acts of intimidation and interference.
06:21 We must all maintain our strenuous efforts in diplomacy.
06:25 And we must all especially lift our individual efforts to support the collective goal of
06:30 integrated deterrence.
06:32 I thank you most sincerely Mr President for your emphatic support for AUKUS.
06:36 As you appreciate, the work of AUKUS seeks to complement the efforts of other nations
06:40 in the region to uphold sovereignty, security and stability, and most importantly to preserve
06:46 peace.
06:47 The centrality of ASEAN is often spoken about and the central role it plays in regional
06:53 affairs.
06:54 In these precarious times, I hope that defence deterrence will be at the very centre of discussions
07:01 at next week's ASEAN Summit.
07:03 Mr President, you are truly a great guest and friend of our country.
07:08 You are honoured today by a very grateful friend in our nation.
07:13 And with our friendly words, we welcome the words of a friend most dear.
07:18 Thank you.
07:19 Thank you.
07:20 Thank you.
07:21 Thank you.
07:21 Thank you.
07:22 Thank you.
07:22 Thank you.
07:23 [BLANK_AUDIO]