Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered a forceful Australia Day message to new citizens, warning that respect for democracy and shared values is not optional. Source: SMH.
Mr Albanese made the comments in a major speech yesterday, delivered in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack and amid national debate over immigration.
At the national citizenship ceremony in Canberra yesterday, Mr Albanese diverted from his prepared remarks to tell new Australians: “It’s the respect for our common humanity that defines Australia. Hope, not fear, optimism, not negativity, and indeed, unity, not division – that is the Australia of 2026 that you are pledging to be a part of.”
Quoting former Labor prime minister Ben Chifley, he said migrants had arrived in a country where “democracy is not just a platitude, but something which is practised”.
Mr Albanese framed citizenship as a civic obligation rather than a cultural badge, saying: “Whether we are Australian by birth or by choice, we all share the opportunity, the privilege and also the responsibility of being part of something quite extraordinary.”
His speech came as Australia’s capital cities erupted with Invasion Day protests and March for Australia rallies, highlighting deep divisions over race, immigration and national identity.
In Brisbane, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson used her time at the March for Australia rally to attack migration policies, dismiss climate change and position herself as the defender of “true” Australian values.
In Perth, police told parts of the Invasion Day rally crowd to disperse over concerns someone had thrown something dangerous into the crowd.
In Sydney, a 31-year-old man was arrested under NSW hate speech laws after he made antisemitic remarks while addressing crowds at the March for Australia rally in Moore Park, before repeating old conspiracy slurs and saying “heil white Australia and heil Thomas Sewell”, a prominent neo-Nazi.
In Melbourne, a brawl broke out near Parliament Station following the March for Australia rally, with two young men throwing punches before one was restrained in a headlock and kicked in the face with steel-capped boots.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley celebrated Australia Day in the NSW town of Corowa in her electorate of Farrer, where her tributes emphasised mateship confronting natural disasters rather than immigration.
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PM’s forceful message to new citizens as Australia Day marred by Nazi chants (By Rob Harris, Sydney Morning Herald)
