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Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite. Handout photo

Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite.

Article (news)

Matt Thistlethwaite

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773841930911Thistlethwaite 1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite. Handout photo" width="960"/>Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite. Handout photo</div>MANILA -- Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite arrived in Manila on Monday with a message that went well beyond the education trade delegation he was leading. According to Thistlewaite, Australia sees the Philippines as a key ally in the Indo-Pacific, and the two countries&#x27; partnership in defense, maritime security, trade, and people-to-people ties is only going to deepen.&quot;We see the Philippines as a key ally and partner to deliver security and stability within our region and for both of our populations,&quot; Thistlethwaite said at a press conference in Pasay City.Thistlethwaite expressed optimism on the trajectory of Australia-Philippines defense cooperation, describing a relationship that has moved steadily from goodwill to concrete military collaboration.He cited recently signed maritime cooperation agreements that have seen the two countries&#x27; navies and civil maritime bodies work together on combating illegal fishing and other activities in the region. He also welcomed the Philippine military&#x27;s participation in Pitch Black, Australia&#x27;s major multilateral air exercise. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/13/us-support-to-ph-unchanged-despite-middle-east-conflict-afp-1443">READ: US support to PH &#x27;unchanged&#x27; despite Middle East conflict — AFP</a></div>&quot;They&#x27;re routine collaborations and exercises where our militaries are training with the United States to maintain peace and security within our region,&quot; he said.On AUKUS, Australia&#x27;s nuclear-powered submarine agreement with the United States and the United Kingdom, Thistlethwaite said the program remained firmly on track. Virginia-class submarines would be acquired and crewed by Australian submariners as a bridging capability, he said, before Australia begins manufacturing its own nuclear-propelled submarines in South Australia in the 2030s and 2040s. &quot;We&#x27;ve got every confidence in the ANZUS Alliance and AUKUS to continue to deliver that peace and stability within our region,&quot; he said.Asked whether a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines was on the horizon, Thistlethwaite said there were no direct plans but left the door open. &quot;The strength of the relationship is growing and it&#x27;s something that Australia certainly values,&quot; he said. &quot;That military cooperation is only going to grow in the future.&quot;On the South China Sea, Thistlethwaite reaffirmed Australia&#x27;s commitment to freedom of navigation and a rules based international order.&quot;Australia, like the Philippines, is an island nation. And we rely on shipping for the delivery and the export of goods and services,&quot; he said. &quot;We&#x27;re always going to uphold those principles of freedom of navigation throughout the region. And that includes the South China Sea.&quot;He also relayed Australia&#x27;s support on the 2016 Arbitral Award that upheld Philippine legal rights and maritime entitlements.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/17/eu-eyes-deeper-ties-with-philippines-amid-global-challenges-says-ambassador-santoro-1631">READ: EU eyes deeper ties with Philippines amid global challenges, says Ambassador Santoro</a></div>&quot;In 2016, there was an arbitral decision regarding the South China Sea, and specifically the Scarborough Shoal, where that decision came down and enforced the right of Filipino fishers to fish in those traditional grounds. Australia is a nation that supports decisions such as that, that are based on international rules,&quot; he said. &quot;Without those rules, then we have the potential for conflict in the future. And no one wants to see that, because it would have a dramatic effect on island nations like Australia and the Philippines&#x27; economies.&quot;Apart from the defense and security partnership, Thistlewaite also underscored the growing trade relations between Australia and the Philippines, now amounting to almost $12 billion. He added that there are now 250 Australian businesses operating in the Philippines and employing around 44,000 Filipino workers.Thistlethwaite is in Manila with 25 Australian educational institutions. He met with Education Secretary Sonny Angara and praised the government&#x27;s workforce upskilling agenda and noted with pride that &quot;the vocational education and training system in the Philippines is based on an Australian model.&quot; About 20,000 Filipino students are also studying in Australia annually. There is also a growing Filipino diaspora in Australia, with many working in the care sector, and even shared his personal experience with Filipino care workers.&quot;The Philippines has a great tradition of providing quality workers in the care economy. I think it&#x27;s something that your nation is renowned for,&quot; he said. &quot;My mother is in an aged care facility and she&#x27;s looked after on a daily basis by three Filipino workers who have become good friends of mine and do a wonderful job looking after my mother. And for me, that&#x27;s the perfect endorsement of the great job that Filipino workers are doing in Australia.&quot;He adds that there may be additional opportunities for Filipino workers in the fields of construction and education as well.&quot;We haven&#x27;t been able to build enough homes for Australians. That&#x27;s an area where our government is concentrating on increasing the supply of homes for Australians by making direct investments in our housing sector. But we&#x27;ll need a large number of skilled workers across all of the building trades to achieve that aim. And then in other industries such as the education sector, we have shortages as well. So there are a wealth of opportunities for Filipinos in Australia,&quot; he said. &quot;They make a great contribution to Australian multiculturalism, to our economy and our society. And Australians love Filipinos.&quot;

Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite arrived in Manila on Monday with a message that went well beyond the education trade delegation he was leading.

Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite arrived in Manila on Monday with a message that went well beyond the education trade delegation he was leading.

Australia sees PH as 'key ally' in Indo-Pacific, pledges broader cooperation on security and trade

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Australia sees PH as 'key ally' in Indo-Pacific, pledges broader cooperation on security and trade

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 18, 2026 09:56 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippines

Australia

Indo-Pacific

US-Iran war

Strait of Hormuz

South China Sea

West Philippine Sea

Matt Thistlethwaite

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