H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De Le Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland on 03 June 2021 at Government House.

07 June 2021 (Brisbane) – H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Ambassador of the Philippines to Australia, undertook her first Official Visit to Queensland on 01 – 04 June 2021. In her meetings with Queensland state government officials, Ambassador De La Vega promoted the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Australia and opportunities for collaboration with Queensland on education, maritime security, police cooperation and economic engagement.

Ambassador De La Vega called on His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland and the Honourable Chief Justice Catherine Holmes. The Philippine Ambassador also met with the Honourable Stirling Hinchcliffe MP, Minister for Tourism Industry Development and Innovation and Minister for Sport; Mr. Joseph (Joe) Kelly MP, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland; and, Mr. John-Paull Langbroek MP, Shadow Minister for Seniors, Communities and Disability Services, and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Partnerships. During the visit, the Ambassador also met Director Julie McDougall of the Department of Children, Youth Justice, and Multicultural Affairs and Director David Phipps of Trade and Investment Queensland.

Minister Hinchcliffe MP hosted an afternoon tea at the Queensland Parliament House in honor of the Philippine Ambassador with stakeholders from the Filipino community, State government, academe, and private sector in Queensland.

The Philippines has historic linkages with Queensland starting with the arrival of the first Filipinos, known as the Manilamen, who worked as pearl divers in Torres Strait Islands and later became entrepreneurs. The first Filipino student to graduate from Australia’s Colombo Plan in 1955 studied at the University of Queensland. Waves of migrant Filipino workers and students would follow in critical industries such as mining, engineering, health services and digital economy.

Today, there are more than 50,000 Filipinos in Queensland and a Filipino student population of more than 4,000. Queensland hosts the third largest Filipino community all over Australia. END

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Ambassador of the Philippines to Australia, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Joseph (Joe) Kelly MP, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland on 03 June 2021 at Parliament House in Brisbane.

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Ambassador of the Philippines to Australia, paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Stirling Hinchcliffe MP, Minister for Tourism Industry Development and Innovation and Minister for Sport on 03 June 2021 at Parliament House in Brisbane.

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Ambassador of the Philippines to Australia, paid a courtesy call on Mr. John-Paul Langbroek MP, Shadow Minister for Seniors, Communities and Disability Services and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships on 03 June 2021 at Mineral House in Brisbane.

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Ambassador of the Philippines to Australia, (third from left) met with officials of Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) led by Mr. David Phipps, Director of Overseas Market – International Operations (fourth from left).