Celebrating Australia Day

Joondalup Citizenship Ceremony 26 January 2026

Australia day is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the values, freedoms, and opportunities that make our country so great.

It’s also a day that reminds us that Australia is a nation built by people from all over the world, and it was a particular honour to welcome some of our newest citizens at the City of Joondalup’s 2026 Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony.

You can read my remarks from the ceremony below, or watch it here.

It is a great pleasure to be here at the City of Joondalup for the 2026 Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony.

Can I begin by acknowledging the Premier of Western Australia and thanking him for his kind words of acknowledgement. I also acknowledge all members of Parliament, both state and federal, who are here with us today.

I would like to congratulate and thank everyone involved with the City of Joondalup, in particular Mayor Daniel Kingston and his fellow councillors, along with the CEO and all of the administration, on such a wonderful event today.

How lucky we are to be here on this Australia Day, watching our newest Australians celebrate and revel in this life-changing moment.

Some of you may not know that for five years I had the great pleasure of being the Lord Mayor of the City of Perth. With that came the great honour of presiding over many citizenship ceremonies.

Mayor Kingston and I were discussing what a privilege that is, but it is particularly special when you can stand here and see our newest Australians today, 270 of you, from 48 different countries around the world, and see the beaming smiles and pride on your faces.

I often used to say how wonderful it would be if I could get all the Australians in the room, those of us who have been here for some time, up on stage to look back at that pride. Because as the Premier has said, and as many have said today, we do live in the best country in the world.

And we are doubly lucky. Not only do we live in the best country in the world, but we also live in the best state, and for that matter, the best city in Western Australia as well.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge those who have won awards today. A sincere and huge congratulations. Because coming to a new country is about being part of the community, and we have seen wonderful examples today of people contributing to the community around them.

I also thank Sharon Wood-Kenney for her wonderful Welcome to Country, a beautiful acknowledgement. On days like this, we remember all of the great things that it means to be an Australian.

I particularly congratulate Mayor Kingston and the team for celebrating Australia Day on January 26, our national day, and for showing that it is indeed possible to reflect, to respect, and to celebrate on our national day.

After all, our national day should bring us together, not move us apart. It is a wonderful gesture by the City of Joondalup to hold this event today.

My parents came, like many of you, from somewhere else. My mum arrived on a boat from the little island of Kastellorizo in Greece in 1933. All four of my grandparents originated from that same island.

As I was growing up, my parents taught me great lessons: to work hard, to use common sense, and to always do the right thing by everybody. They are great Australian values, and they are values many of us share.

As Lord Mayor, and today as well, I have the great privilege to say to all of you, remember the great Australian values that you have just acknowledged in your pledges, but also never forget the great countries that you have come from, your language, your culture, your magnificent food, and your customs.

By bringing those and celebrating them here in your new home, you make Australia better. You enrich all of us. You enrich our national way of life.

It is a great privilege to be an Australian.

Never forget all the opportunities that come your way by being able to call yourselves Australian, but also never forget the countries you have come from.

My mum made sure I never forgot. When I was in Year 4 in 1981, it was a free dress day at Floreat Park Primary School. Most of my classmates were dressed as characters from MASH or wearing their VFL jumpers.

But my mum decided it would be a good idea for me to go in the national costume of Greece.

That meant a puffy white shirt with puffy sleeves, a sequin vest, a skirt covered in sequins, white tights up to your belt, red shoes with pom-poms, and a sequin cap with a long tassel.

Character-building stuff.

But something I am, and always will be, immensely proud of. I am proud of my heritage, but nothing is more special to me than being able to call myself an Australian.

As Sharon reminded us today, how lucky every new Australian is, because not only are we part of this great country with people from all over the world, but also a country that is home to the world’s oldest living continuous culture.

As I conclude, I want everyone to remember how special this is. There is no other country in the world that can lay claim to this.

That is what it means to be an Australian. That is what we celebrate today. And to all our new Australians and to all our older Australians, I think The Seekers said it best:

We are one, but we are many, and from all the lands on Earth we come. We share a dream and sing with one voice. I am, you are, we are Australian.

Have a happy Australia Day, everybody.