By HK Yu PSM
Being an Ambassador is an incredible honour and a great responsibility.
On my appointment as Ambassador to the Philippines in 2022, I took on the role of representing not only the government of Australia but also a society that is modern, pluralistic and diverse.
Many of you may know that over half of Australian residents were born overseas or have at least one parent born abroad. This includes more than 400,000 Filipino Australians who now make up the fifth largest migrant community in Australia.
When I was 11 years old, my family immigrated to Perth, Western Australia from Seoul in the Republic of Korea. My parents wanted to provide my siblings and I with better educational and professional opportunities to get ahead in life and contribute to society.
In this way, my own story is representative of many others in modern Australia. I am sure there are many Filipino Australians who can relate to pursuing new opportunities across international borders.
Australia is a country where people are given a fair go and hard work is rewarded. My parents, my brothers and I embraced our beautiful new country and worked hard to build a happy and successful life. I also like to think that Australia was lucky to have us because it is hard working immigrants and the existence of a vibrant, multicultural society that makes Australia the wonderful country it is today.
I still remember my primary teacher in South Korea, Ne Hee Jo, who in helping me prepare for my new life in Australia, reminded me of the importance of representation and embracing diversity. She was the first to tell me about the work of a diplomat, and that I could become one.
Decades on, I am honoured to have become a diplomat and Australia’s Ambassador to the Philippines, the home of one of Australia’s oldest diplomatic missions.
As head of mission, I also take on the responsibility of nurturing 78 years of formal diplomatic relations and a much longer history of friendship between our people.
Let me share some highlights of my first two years as Australia’s 23rd Ambassador to the Philippines, and the first who was born in Asia.
High-level visits between our leaders are always special. Taking the time to make a bilateral visit to a partner country is a clear demonstration of how much we value our relationship with one another.
Since becoming Ambassador, I have hosted visits to Manila of Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles (twice); Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong; Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell; the chief of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell; and Special Envoy for Southeast Asia Nicholas Moore. This is the highest number of high-level bilateral visits our Embassy has hosted in a single year.
Through these visits, Australia and the Philippines agreed on practical plans to elevate our bilateral relationship, including new cooperation in trade, defence, and maritime security.
My second year began with the historic visit of Australia’s Prime Minister, the Hon. Anthony Albanese, to Manila. Historic not only for being the first bilateral visit of an Australian Prime Minister to the Philippines in 23 years, but also as we ushered in a new era in our diplomatic relations — the signing of our Strategic Partnership.
And earlier this year I had the honour of accompanying President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on his twin visits to Australia.
These two leaders’ visits signified the deepening ties and increasing importance both our countries place on our relationship. And brought with them exciting developments.
We signed five Memoranda of Understanding in the priority areas of agriculture, maritime cooperation, cyber affairs and critical technology, and competition reform.
In 2023, we held the inaugural Exercise ALON, the first amphibious exercise between the Australian Defense Force (ADF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), building on decades of joint military training and education. And in 2024, we hosted the Philippine Air Force (PAF) again in Exercise Pitch Black, Australia’s biggest international air combat training activity, with the Philippines sending nearly 200 Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel and four FA-50PH fighter jets. This is the first time PAF has sent aircraft to an international exercise and the first time since 1968 PAF has deployed off-shore.
We have launched the Fostering Advancement of Inclusive and Rights (FAIR) Justice Program with the Supreme Court. This program, valued at 350-million pesos, shows our shared commitment to the rule of law, human rights, and strong and accountable public institutions.
We have seen increased trade activities — from the resumption of Philippine mango exports to Australia, to significant investments in clean energy by firms such as the Ayala Group through ACEN and Macquarie through Blue Leaf Energy.
While it is important to reflect on what we have achieved together, it is just as important to take a moment to reflect on why.
As I have often said, Australia and the Philippines are partners, but above all friends.
It’s that friendship, the tradition of being there for each other, that is the foundation we have built our diplomatic relationship on.
We share a region, and we share a future.
We have a collective responsibility to promote a region where countries can exercise their agency and defend their sovereignty in accordance with international rules and norms, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
We are doing our part — alongside our friends in the Philippines — to ensure that the type of region we want to live in is not just reflected in words, but also made a reality.
As I enter my third and final year as Ambassador, I am ambitious about implementing our Strategic Partnership and contributing to a region that is stable, peaceful and prosperous.
We will maximize the potential of our two-way trade and investment. We will work even more closely on economic reforms that are essential to build prosperity.
We will cooperate on more locally-led development that will improve access to justice, which is essential in ensuring sustainable peace.
And we will build on our long history of defence cooperation by training together in the Philippines and Australia, increasing our interoperability.
I am excited to work on these with our Philippine partners and friends and ensure that our Strategic Partnership is having a real impact.
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HK Yu is the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @AusAmbPH.
