| 125 Years of Australian Democracy: Seizing the Day Together |
** “Australia is always at its best when we choose to lift people up — not shut them out.”
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125 Years of Australian Democracy: Seizing the Day Together
8/05/2026
(See translation in Arabic section)
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l: Your Excellency, the Governor-General of Australia,
Premier Jacinta Allan,
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles,
Members of the Federal Parliament, distinguished guests, and honoured First Nations leaders.
** Today, as we gather in the magnificent Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, we mark a defining moment in our nation’s story — the 125th anniversary of the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia.
On 9 May 1901, more than 12,000 people filled this hall while crowds lined the streets outside to witness the birth of a new nation. That day marked two historic achievements: the opening of Australia’s first Commonwealth Parliament and the creation of the first nation in the world formed through the free and peaceful vote of its people.
The Australia of 1901 was very different from the Australia we know today. There were no Members of Parliament with names reflecting the rich diversity that now defines our nation. Women were largely excluded from public life, and First Nations Australians were denied recognition and equality.
Yet despite those limitations, the people gathered here 125 years ago shared a powerful belief — that Australia could become a fairer, more united, and more equal society than the old world many had left behind.
That belief became the foundation of our national journey.
Generation after generation, Australians have worked to strengthen and expand our democracy. In times of war and peace, prosperity and hardship, our people have held firm to the enduring Australian aspiration: to leave a better nation for those who follow us.
One debate surrounding the opening of Parliament in 1901 revealed something essential about our national character. Some proposed holding the ceremony in a smaller venue at Victorian Parliament House. But critics argued that “the people will be shut out.”
Those words were more than a practical concern — they were a democratic principle.
Federation was the people’s movement. It belonged to ordinary Australians, and the Parliament itself had to belong to them too. From the very beginning, our democracy was strongest when it included people rather than excluded them.
That lesson still guides us today.
Every time Australia has chosen fairness over division, inclusion over discrimination, and opportunity over exclusion, we have become stronger as a nation.
We see this in the great achievements of our democracy: compulsory voting, which reminds us that citizenship carries both rights and responsibilities; the advancement of workers’ rights through the eight-hour day and minimum wage; the creation of Medicare and universal superannuation; and the decision to move beyond the White Australia Policy to become one of the world’s most successful multicultural societies.
Australia has also grown through recognising and learning from the oldest continuous culture on Earth. By acknowledging the truth of our history and walking together towards reconciliation, we continue building a nation that reflects our highest values.
Australians are not always known for grand displays of patriotism. Compared with other nations, we often celebrate quietly and modestly. Yet we should take genuine pride in what our democracy has achieved over 125 years.
Ours is a democracy strengthened not only by institutions, but by people — by citizens who believe in fairness, equality, and shared opportunity.
As we look upward in this historic building, we can still see the Latin words painted beneath the dome more than a century ago: Carpe Diem — “Seize the Day.”
Those words captured the optimism of the Australians who came together in 1901 to build a new Commonwealth. They remain just as meaningful today.
Our responsibility is not only to honour the achievements of the past, but to embrace the opportunities of the present and shape a future worthy of our people, our values, and our country.
So let us continue the work begun 125 years ago — building a nation that lifts people up, opens doors of opportunity, and remains united in hope and purpose.
Let us seize the day, together. |
