Australia in the Asian Century White Paper
Summary: Chapters 1-4 and 8-9 of the white paper discussed the Philippines in terms of: human capital investment, demographics, water scarcity, institutional connections, societal transformation, trade patterns, security, and stronger relationships. Primary school net enrolment rates are currently nearly 90% — young people enjoyed marked improvements in their access to education and its quality as government invested in its youthful population and dramatically transformed the education and training systems. Domestic policy factors will determine whether the Philippines will be able to replicate the East Asian experience and capitalize on the opportunities of favorable demographics — even if it does, demographic factors will be a less significant source of economic growth than in the past. Of the Philippines’ 412 rivers, 50 are classified as “dead”—as water scarcity grows and as water quality deteriorates competition among users and jurisdictions will increase. Post-World War II, the Australian Government (GoA) lent strong diplomatic support for independence for the Philippines. The period from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s brought an increase in migrants from the Philippines to Australia. The Philippines is an important source of permanent migrants for Australia; there has been a large increase of Filipinos who spend time studying or working temporarily in Australia. Japan’s intra-industry trade in electrical equipment with the Philippines increased. ASEAN emerged as a stabilizing regional force following the tensions of the 1960s and includes the Philippines as a member; GoA will focus more attention on engaging active regional powers such as RP on security and sustainability issues. GoA will reinforce its partnership with the Philippines.
Source URL: http://asiancentury.dpmc.gov.au/white-paper
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