SPAN Logo
 

Centre for Philippine Concerns - Australia
CPCA MISSION STATEMENT
 

The Centre for Philippine Concerns - Australia is a national network of Filipino individuals and organisations in Australia committed to advancing the Filipino people's interests. CPCA was formally established in November 1991 with members living in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territories and in the Philippines itself. CPCA established offices in Melbourne and Brisbane and carried out its activities over many years. CPCA has currently suspended its activities for the time being.

SITUATION
 

Since the early 1970s, the number of Filipinos in Australia has grown from less than 2,000 to around 70,000. Many of us are first and second generation migrants. Almost two-thirds of us are Filipinas married to Australian men. Since the late 1980s more Filipinos have migrated through the Family Reunion Scheme, thereby increasing the number of nuclear Filipino families in Australia.

Filipinos are driven to migrate to Australia because of the unstable economic and political situation in the Philippines, which has not abated with the change of government. Many of us retain our ties with our mother country through family and friends. We view with concern the situation of our kababayan (compatriots) at home and here in Australia.

OUR AIMS
 

  1. To empower the Filipino migrant community by promoting its well-being and rights to a better economic, cultural and political life in Australia.
    2.

We believe in our community's right to equal access to and participation in the resources of this country. We seek equal opportunity in employment, education, health and other social services. In the context of a multicultural Australia, we have the right and responsibility to develop and strengthen our own Filipino-Australian culture, one which draws from our indigenous culture and our experiences as migrants in this country.

We address the following issues in Australia:

  • Non recognition or downgrading of professional and educational qualifications
  • Negative public images of Filipinos in Australia
  • Filipino women in cross-cultural marriages
  • Racism
  • Promotion of cultural identity
  • Plight of illegal immigrants
  • Exploitation of contract workers
  • Australian sex tours to the Philippines
  1. To generate support among the Filipino and the broader Australian communities for justice, peace, national sovereignty and sustainable development in the Philippines.

We aim to raise awareness on the problems that beset the Philippines. We facilitate support from groups and individuals here in Australia to people's organisations in the Philippines.

We conduct community education around these issues:

  • Poverty
  • Social justice
  • Agrarian reform
  • Continuing human rights violations
  • Environmental destruction
  • Struggle for self-determination of indigenous peoples
  • Official Australian development aid to the Philippines
  • Australian military aid to the Philippines
  • Australian business interests in the Philippines
  • Foreign military presence in the Philippines
  1. To lend support to the struggles of other peoples for self-determination and social justice.

We affirm our solidarity with them and recognise that the struggles of the Filipino peoples occurs alongside those of others in the Third World. We express our solidarity especially with the Aboriginal and Islander nations of Australia.

ACTIVITIES
 

Actions will be undertaken at national, state, regional and community level. Our activities are:

Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia

Brisbane Branch Mail Address:
PO Box 112
MOUNT NEBO QLD 4520
AUSTRALIA

E-mail:
Website: http://www.cpcabrisbane.org