With over 1,000 guests gracing the occasion, it’s the biggest national day reception held as expressed by the host, the Ambassador of the Embassy of Australia Hae Kyong Yu, and her spouse Ian Fergus Murphy.
Observed annually on Jan. 26 as the official national day of Australia, the reception of Australia Day 2025 was held on Jan. 21 at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC.
In her speech, the ambassador shared that it will be her and her husband Fergus’s third and final Australia Day event, exclaiming “Time really flies when you’re having fun!”
“The Australia-Philippine relationship has never been stronger and we have never achieved so much together in just two and a half years. Underpinning our strong relationship and achievements is our shared vision for our region,” she said.
The human connections between Australia and the Philippines are profound, with over 450,000 Australians of Filipino descent and hundreds of thousands of Aussie tourists visiting the Philippines yearly. This connection was made even easier by extending the Australian Frequent Traveller Stream Visitor Visa, providing multiple entry to Australia for up to 10 years to eligible Filipinos.
She encouraged everyone to “uphold international law and protect the rules and norms, foster trust and cooperation, not division, and create a shared prosperity that leaves no one behind.”
In a statement, the ambassador mentioned that the friendship between Australia and the Philippines brings together people from all walks of life; with police forces working together in combating transnational crime and protecting the most vulnerable in the society; students studying in each other’s country through the Australia Awards Scholarships and the New Colombo Plan.; scientists collaborating to improve agricultural research for the benefit of Filipino farmers and fisher folk, and better food security for the wider population.
The ambassador stated that she is exceptionally proud to announce that Australia is supporting the government of the Philippines to develop the country’s first independent forensic institute. Working with Filipino and Australian academics, the institute will train the Philippines’ next generation of forensic doctors and help bolster transparency and accountability within the Philippines’ justice system.
Ambassador Hae Kyong Yu of the Embassy of Australia
Manila Bulletin’s Badette Cunanan with Ambassador Khalid Ibrahim Mohammed of the Embassy of Iraq, Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura of the Embassy of Brazil and Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy Angola Nlando Augusto Bernardo
