Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown said Thursday that the Philippines is becoming increasingly significant to Australia and expressed optimism about stronger ties between the two countries.

Innes-Brown was in Iloilo City for a series of engagements, including a courtesy visit with Mayor Raisa Treñas.

In an interview with reporters, he said Australia and the Philippines share common interests, ties and history, with defense cooperation among their important bilateral partnerships.

“Bilateral trade levels set a new record high last year. We would like investments to be better, and that’s one of our priorities,” he said.

Australia’s development assistance to the Philippines amounts to about $104 million annually, one of the largest and near-record levels in the 50 years that Australia has provided aid to the country, he said.

The Australian Embassy is working to strengthen ties in various areas, including economic, cultural and security cooperation, Innes-Brown said.

He said his visit, along with other recent Australian engagements in Iloilo, underscored the city’s importance to bilateral relations. An Australian parliamentary delegation also visited Iloilo last week for discussions with the provincial government.

“I can sense the richness of the culture here and the history,” he said, noting Iloilo’s international recognition, including the 2026 ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award and its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Treñas said Thursday evening that she and the ambassador discussed the city’s development, existing programs and initiatives to boost the local economy.

“We also shared our plans for a Human Rights Hub, which we are currently working on and reviewing the guidelines for. Hopefully, this can also open opportunities for partnership and collaboration since Australia already has had much success in this program,” Treñas said. (PNA)