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 one and all.
My fellow Australians and my very-soon-to-be fellow Australians.
Every citizenship ceremony is an extraordinary event, a solemn occasion and a joyous one.
A formal commitment – and a warm embrace.
My great predecessor Ben Chifley officiated at the very first of these ceremonies 75 years ago, across the lake at Albert Hall.
We have built on that tradition ever since because, as Australians, we choose to celebrate those who have chosen our nation as their home and chosen us as their fellow citizens.
Generations of people like you - who have looked to Australia, dreaming of a better life for themselves and their families - and in doing so, have made this an even better nation for us all.
That’s why I can think of no better day for a citizenship ceremony than Australia Day.
Australia Day is our chance to pause and reflect on everything that we have achieved as a nation.
Everything that we have created and built and learned through all the ups and downs of our history.
The mighty challenges we have faced, the profound opportunities we have seized, the stern tests we have passed – together.
Everything that has made us who we are as a people.
Everything that has made us who we are, as a nation.
And just as Australia Day is about the way all the different elements of our past add up to what we have in the present, it’s also very much about our future, and what we can gain.
As I look at your faces, I can see we are about to gain so much.
What you are adding to today is the wonderful and enduring truth that the Australian sense of identity finds so much of its heart and strength in our diversity.
The bedrock of that diversity, of course, is the world’s oldest continuous culture.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been here for so long that the very shape of the continent has changed.
A period of time that defies imagining.
What an extraordinary privilege it is, for their culture to be the beginning of our national story and for their wisdom to be a continuing part of our national life.
The enduring foundation of our modern, prosperous, peaceful and multicultural democracy.
As Australians, we cherish all we have, we celebrate it. And each one of us has the opportunity and the responsibility to add to it.
That’s something I said to the Australian of the Year nominees yesterday, and I say it today to you, who may well be future Australians of the Year.
We are always at our best when we work together and, crucially, when we look to the future together.
And that’s how we can make this an even better, stronger, fairer and more prosperous country.
Today, our sense of togetherness is growing at 320 citizenship ceremonies right across this continent, with more than 15,000 people becoming Australian citizens.
More than 15,000 people from every part of the world, drawn from every faith and background, will be pledging their loyalty to their new home, to Australia, our democratic beliefs, our laws, our values and our people.
Joining our Australian family.
Joining us as proud citizens of the greatest country on earth.
And writing the newest chapter in a 75-year story that has seen more than six million people take up Australian citizenship.
It is such a great honour for me as Prime Minister to be able to personally welcome you to the family.
Sixteen new citizens, will be joining us from 10 different countries: the Philippines, India, Japan, Estonia, North Macedonia, Liberia, the United States of America, Uzbekistan, Tonga and Mongolia.
Nurses and social workers, students, software engineers, accountants, small business owners and more.
A diverse sweep of skills, experience, aspiration and initiative.
And a common determination, a shared commitment, an equal love and loyalty for this, your new home.
On behalf of all your fellow Australians, thank you for joining our family.
For adding yourselves to the picture.
And for showing the depth of your commitment to our country, to your country.
Congratulations, and welcome home.