As Australia Day celebrations begin Anthony Albanese expresses admiration for Australia's principles, celebrating the nation's 'proud' diversity, honoring the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and acknowledging the dedication of soldiers in the armed forces.
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00:00 My fellow Australians, today as many of us are celebrating Australia Day,
00:06 our first thoughts are with those communities battling natural disasters.
00:11 Seeing people work together to save lives and rebuild homes and businesses
00:16 is a powerful reminder that the worst of times reveal the best of the Australian character.
00:23 Those values of compassion and respect, courage and kindness
00:27 are at the heart of our national identity
00:30 and they remain the foundation of our national success.
00:34 These values and how they shape our nation are what we pay tribute to on Australia Day.
00:41 Indeed, when we look at everything happening around the world today,
00:45 all of us can be proud of the way that Australia's diversity strengthens our unity.
00:52 This begins with the unique privilege we have of being home to the oldest continuous culture on earth.
00:59 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have loved and cared for this country
01:04 for over 65,000 years and they continue to uplift our nation.
01:10 And over generations, people from every part of the world,
01:14 from all faiths and backgrounds and traditions,
01:17 have enriched and enlarged our society and our democracy,
01:21 adding to our national spirit of aspiration and endeavour,
01:25 embracing that profoundly Australian determination
01:29 to create a better life and greater opportunity for our children and our grandchildren.
01:36 The story continues today as thousands of people in big cities and small towns across our nation
01:43 will take the pledge of citizenship and join us in making Australia their home.
01:49 On Australia Day, as we all reflect on how lucky we are to live in the greatest country in the world,
01:56 let us remind ourselves that the fairness, democracy and community harmony we treasure is not down to luck.
02:03 What we have is not an accident. It is our Australian values in action.
02:09 The product of generations of hard work, sacrifice and cooperation,
02:14 not the least of those men and women who have worn our uniform in defending our nation.
02:21 Today we recognise those Australians who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
02:26 We give thanks to all those who serve in our armed forces, defending our democracy and our values.
02:32 Everything we have, we're built together.
02:35 We cherish that, we celebrate it and best of all, each of us has a chance to add to it.
02:42 Working together, we can make this an even better, stronger and fairer country.
02:48 Happy Australia Day.
02:50 [Australian Defence]
02:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]