CANBERRA, Australia – H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia and non-resident Ambassador to Vanuatu, hosted the annual Team Philippines Australia Consultative Meeting in Canberra on 01–02 April 2019 bringing together Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Australia and Vanuatu under the one-country team approach.

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia and Non-Resident Ambassador to Vanuatu (first row; fourth from left) hosted the annual Team Philippines Australia Consultative Meeting in Canberra on 01 – 02 April 2019 bringing together all Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Australia and Vanuatu under the one-country team approach.

The team discussed the Philippines’ plans leading up to the 75th Anniversary of Philippines-Australia Relations and 35th Anniversary of Philippines-Vanuatu Relations in 2021.

A new element to the annual consultations was engagement with a known expert to enhance team operations. Dr. Sarah Pearson, Chief Innovation Officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, shared her experience with innovationXchange on institutionalizing innovation in foreign service operations.

Dr. Sarah Pearson, Chief Innovation Officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) shares her insights on adopting innovation in foreign service operations during the annual Team Philippines Australia Consultative Meeting in Canberra on 01 April 2019.

The team looks forwards to marking our milestone year with Australia and Vanuatu in 2021. END