Today we welcome over 16,000 people who are making the pledge to become Australian citizens across the nation.

Our new citizens join us from around 150 different countries and will be celebrated in over 400 ceremonies across all states and territories this Australia Day.

The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton encourages all Australians to support their local Australia Day citizenship ceremonies today.

“Australia Day gives all citizens, new or old, the opportunity to openly reflect on what it means to be Australian,” Mr Dutton said.

“Australian citizenship ceremonies are an important part of our nation’s celebrations, with more people becoming citizens on Australia Day than any other day of the year.”

“Today we celebrate the characteristics and values that make us proud to call ourselves Australian citizens, including our unique Indigenous Australian living culture and our multicultural diversity, particularly our newest Australians formally welcomed at Australia Day citizenship ceremonies,” Mr Dutton said.

Today’s newest citizens join more than five million others who have chosen to become Australian citizens since the first ceremony in 1949.

Events to celebrate Australia Day will include a ceremony on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, which the Governor-General will attend and where the Prime Minister will preside, a ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and a ceremony on HMAS Leeuwin hosted by Port Adelaide Enfield City Council. 

Mr Dutton will preside over a morning ceremony at his local Rotary Club in Samford Valley welcoming 33 new citizens, followed by another ceremony in Strathpine where he will welcome 145 new citizens.