Australia Day – a day of celebration and achievement

26-January-2012

Federal Member for Aston, Alan Tudge MP, congratulated Council Australia Day 2012 Award winners for their contribution to the community and welcomed new Australian citizens at the Knox Council citizenship ceremony on Australia Day.

Mr Tudge congratulated the new Australian citizens acknowledging that in Australia, over 15,000 people from over 70 countries will become Australian citizens. He said, “The 50 or so people who have become Australian citizens in Knox on Australia Day, have opted to become Australians, not through the lottery of birth, but because of what Australia offers them and what they wish to offer their country of choice.

Mr Tudge was also invited to speak at the Peppertree Hill Retirement Village with a group of senior Australians.

“The three events I attended on Australia Day each had a different focus: one in celebration of outstanding citizens, the next welcoming new citizens, and the third, to share Australia Day with a group of people who have built the nation, people who have served in war, and seen tremendous hardship,” Mr Tudge said.

“Australia Day is a celebration and we should rightly celebrate by flying the flag, singing our national anthem and by being as proud as punch to be Aussies. It is good for our community to reflect on the achievements of our nation at least once a year. It is also worth remembering on Australia Day of all days, that many of the conventions that were introduced to Australia on January 26, 1788 when the first fleet’s crew stepped onto Australian shores bringing certain ways of life, habits of mind and processes of government that have made Australia one of the oldest, most stable, and most cohesive democracies on Earth.

“Australia’s greatest achievement is our long term stability and democracy and the freedom that we consequently enjoy. It did not happen because we are the “lucky country” but in fact, because we inherited British common law and its institutions, and because generations subsequently have fought, died, and worked hard to make our country what it is today,” he said.

“If our freedom, prosperity and stability is our greatest achievement, then a close second must be our remarkable ability to accept people from all around the world and for all of us to live relatively harmoniously as Australians,” Mr Tudge said.

Alan is pictured with James Philipsen, Knox City Council Young Citizen of the Year.

CLICK HERE to read Alan's speech on Australia Day