Strengthening economic growth in the Philippines

Media release

21 February 2014

I am pleased to announce that Australia is providing a further US$2.5 million contribution to the highly successful and innovative Philippines Public-Private Partnership Centre, bringing Australia's total contribution to US$30 million.

Australian support for the Philippine Government's ambitious Public Private Partnership (PPP) reform agenda has helped the PPP Centre deliver five projects worth in excess of US$1 billion.

The most recent contract signed by the Philippines Government, for the US$360 million Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway PPP, benefitted from just over $1 million in Australian funding to facilitate the transaction.

Australian support is helping the Philippines Government use PPPs to deliver better services to Filipinos and increase private sector participation and investment in major infrastructure projects.

With dozens of PPP projects in development and continuing Australian support, the Aquino administration is well placed to deliver on its commitment to sign 15 PPP contracts by 2016.

The success of the Philippines PPP Centre is serving as a model for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) pilot PPP Centre in Jakarta. In October 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced $3 million in Australian support for the pilot Centre.

Australia's partnership with the Philippines is delivering on our commitment of improved infrastructure development and sustainable economic growth.