MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER

AUSTRALIA DAY 2015

26 January 2015

Today, across our continent, families and communities will celebrate the ties that bind us, the values that sustain us and the nation that we have become.

Modern Australia has an Aboriginal heritage, a British foundation and a multicultural character.

On Australia Day, we honour our ancestors who were custodians of this ancient continent; we pay tribute to our forefathers who enshrined freedom, fairness and unity in Australia’s Constitution; and we reaffirm our commitment to make Australia a beacon of hope and optimism in an uncertain world.

To be an Australian is to win the lottery of life!

We can’t rest on our laurels and all have a part to play in sustaining a nation that is strong and prosperous, free and fair.

Today, thousands of new Australian citizens will take the pledge to live our values and join our team, following in the footsteps of our first modern migrants who arrived on 26 January 1788.

This year we will commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign. I hope all Australians will participate in some way.

We will also continue working towards completing our Constitution by recognising the first Australians. A spirit of generous inclusion has always marked our nation at its best.

Today, we celebrate the history that has made us who we are; the country that we love and the values and institutions that underpin it.

I wish all Australians a happy Australia Day!

The Hon Tony Abbott MP

Prime Minister of Australia