I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
Your Excellency, distinguished guests.
My fellow Australians.
And, in particular, can I welcome the 24 of you who took your seats at this ceremony as citizens of Brazil, France, Germany, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, the United States, Sri Lanka and Vietnam but will leave here as our fellow Australians.
It's an honour to share this moment with you and your loved ones.
You will always remember this Australia Day, your first day as an Australian.
Today, in our big cities and country towns, at beaches and backyard barbecues, and in over 280 ceremonies like this one, we celebrate everything that brings Australia together and everything that sets our nation apart from the world.
We look back on all that we have built together and all that we have learned from each other.
And we look to the future with the optimism and determination that the Australian people bring to the life of our nation, each and every day.
The very first one of these ceremonies took place here in Canberra, in 1949.
Not where we gather today, because 76 years ago this lake was still just an idea.
The Australian War Memorial had only been open 7 years.
The Australians who'd served in the First World War and whose bravery and sacrifice had inspired its construction, were in their 50s and 60s.
And the veterans of the Second World War were young men re-adjusting to civilian life.
In this and countless other ways, it was a different Australia, in a very different world.
Yet the seven people who received their citizenship on that day, 76 years ago the more than 6 million who have followed and all of you who will join us as Australians today.
We all belong to the same proud story.
We are all part of a nation built by hope and hard work, aspiration and determination.
A democracy where every citizen counts themselves equal.
A society where your character counts for more than your name, where your hard work matters more than where you come from.
Where we measure ourselves by the care we extend to the most vulnerable and the fair go we offer to all.
A nation that has been enriched by people of every faith, background and tradition.
From the unique privilege we have of sharing this ancient continent with the world's oldest continuous culture to the multicultural society we have built, where everyone has the right to be proud of who they are, to worship how they choose and to live in peace and safety - side by side.
That is the legacy of previous generations, it is the nation you are joining and it is the responsibility all of us owe to future generations.
To safeguard our social cohesion, to uphold Australian fairness and continue Australia's progress.
At that very first ceremony, Prime Minister Ben Chifley said to Australia's newest citizens:
"You have come to a country in which great opportunities will present themselves.
You have come to a country where democracy is not just a platitude but something which is practised."
Through a world of change, the truth of those words endures.
This remains a country of great opportunities, ready to be seized.
And we remain a democracy, where every citizen holds the same rights and shares in the same responsibility.
Because whether we are born Australian, or we choose to become Australian, citizenship is a commitment that all of us make to each other.
Today, your talent and skill, your enterprise and drive, your hopes for the future join this great national endeavour.
On Australia Day, let us celebrate the privilege we have to live in the greatest country on earth.
And together let us seize the opportunity to make it even better in the future.
