23 Sept 2008

PHILIPPINE-AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL SECURITY AGREEMENT BEING CONSIDERED

The Philippine Community Council (PCC) of New South Wales, the Sydney Australian-Filipino Seniors Inc. (SAFSI), Filipino Communities Council of Australia (FILCAA) and the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney together with Federal Members of Parliament Roger Price (Chiefly) and Chris Hayes (Werriwa) have been coordinating towards the establishment of a social security agreement between the Philippines and Australia.

The proposed social security agreement will allow Filipino-Australian old age pensioners to receive their benefits in the Philippines with the least limitations. Australia already has entered into similar bilateral agreements with certain countries.

In July 2008, the PCC and SAFSI conducted a massive signature campaign to build up support of Filipino-Australians for the proposed agreement. The petitions containing thousands of signatures were transmitted to MP’s Price and Hayes, who respectively endorsed the petitions to Federal Minister Jenny Macklin of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Minister Macklin reacted positively to the petitions and stated that her Department is assessing the feasibility of such an agreement with the Philippines. She said that the proposed agreement can become a reality because the Philippine and Australian social security systems are compatible and “the agreement is likely to be mutually beneficial”.

The proposed social security agreement has also been included as one of the agenda items in the Second Philippine-Australian Ministerial Meeting (PAMM), a ministerial level summit convened every other year and will be held in Manila in early October 2008. It is most likely that the Australian Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade will be in Manila to meet their Philippine counterparts in this historical meeting.

As the proposed agreement has now been elevated to the level of the Australian Federal Government, the Philippine Embassy in Canberra will now lead the negotiations on behalf of the Philippine Government, with the assistance of Philippine government agencies such as the Social Security System among others.

Philippine Consul General Maria Theresa Lazaro said that the “Filipino Australian community should remain steadfast and vigorous in knowing the status of the proposed agreement as it concerns the future of each and every Filipino Australian”.

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