2025 Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA Sydney Dinner

Join us for this year's - Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA Global Solidarity Dinner in Sydney. It’s set to be internationalism's night of nights!

And what a year it's been for our movement's global justice organisation! Authoritarians and oligarchs abound, but they can't keep us, the workers, from uniting. 

As always, there is a comprehensive prize list including memorabilia from the 40+ years of Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA activism.  

Ticket purchase includes the nights entertainment, and a marvellous three-course meal prepared in the on-site restaurant (all dietary needs can be accommodated). Drinks will be available to purchase at bar prices. 

We will have fantastic prizes up for grabs in our auctions and raffle, featuring unique international and union items you can't get anywhere else. 

Joining us will be...

Speaker - Saina Tomi Setu

Saina Tomi Setu is the Lead Organiser and Executive Officer of the Samoa First Union. She has been involved since the union's establishment and plays a key role in organising private sector workers across Samoa.

SFU was established in June 2015 as the first private sector union in Samoa. Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA proudly supported its formation, along with Australia’s National Union of Workers (now part of the United Workers Union), New Zealand’s First Union, and their international union networks.

Master of Ceremonies - Philippa McDonald

Philippa McDonald has been a proud union member for 35 years and was awarded the prestigious MEAA Gold Honour Badge for meritorious service in 2023. She was a member of the International Federation of Journalists' delegation to the Philippines to call for justice for the families of the 32 media workers killed in the Ampatuan massacre. As one of Australia's most trusted and respected journalists, Philippa spent 30 years at the ABC reporting from all over Australia and the world and delivered journalism training in the Pacific.

In recent years, Philippa has been working primarily in Timor-Leste with ABC International Development ( as part of the Indo-Pacific Broadcasting Strategy) in a partnership with RTTL, the young nation's public broadcaster, to help establish an English-speaking TV News service (RTTL World News), telling Timorese stories to the world.  She has also worked at NITV and with SBS, and the videos she has hosted for Compass.info, shining a light on elder abuse, have been viewed more than a million times.