Thank you for that warm welcome, and thank you to everyone who has come out today to mark Australia Day here in Corowa.

There is no better place to reflect on what Australia means than right here.

From Sydney to Perth, from Brisbane to Melbourne, from Adelaide to Hobart, and in towns like Albury, Corowa, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Toowoomba, Australians are marking this day in the same spirit.

Different backgrounds, different stories, but the same deep pride in being Australian.

What unites us as Australians is far greater than anything that could ever divide us.

Corowa holds a special place in our national story.

In 1893, this town hosted the Corowa Conference, where ordinary Australians helped spark the movement that led to Federation.

It was a reminder then, as it is now, that our nation was built by people who believed in working together, shaping our future and taking responsibility for it.

That spirit still defines Australia.

Australia is the best country in the world.

And Australia Day is the day we come together to celebrate who we are, what we share, and the freedoms and opportunities that bind us as Australians.

We are a nation built on a simple but powerful idea.

If you work hard, play by the rules, contribute to your community and respect others, Australia will give you a fair go.

Not a guarantee of success, but the chance to build a life, raise a family, and shape your own future.

My own family chose this country for exactly that reason.

Not because it promised ease, but because it offered opportunity.

We worked, we contributed, we became part of a community, and Australia gave us the chance to belong.

That experience shapes how I see this country and what it asks of all of us.

Across this nation there is a deep instinct to contribute.

It is in our bones.

Australians value hard work, respect responsibility, and understand that community matters.

That outlook has carried us through war, hardship, natural disasters,a pandemic and economic change.

It continues to define who we are today.

We are bound together by Australian values.

Times may change, but our values do not.

They are the anchor that has held this country together through every generation.

Freedom.

Fairness.

Aspiration.

Respect.

These are not abstract ideas.

They are lived every day in families, in workplaces, in schools, in sporting clubs, in service organisations and in towns like this one.

We see those values most clearly when times are tough.

We have seen it again in recent months.

In the Victorian bushfires.

In the Queensland floods.

When crisis hits, Australians step up and they turn up.

With meals.

With tools.

With spare hands.

Volunteers and emergency services act without hesitation.

People do not ask where you came from or how you vote.

They ask what you need.

That instinct to stand together is one of Australia’s greatest strengths.

This year, Australia Day carries a deeper meaning.

The Bondi terror attack has shaken our nation to its core.

It tested our sense of safety and left families grieving in ways no one should ever have to endure.

But even in that darkness, we saw something powerful.

Australians ran toward danger to help strangers.

They comforted the wounded.

They stood shoulder to shoulder and made clear that hatred and violence will never define who we are.

That is the true Australia.

In moments like that, labels fall away.

What remains is our shared humanity, and our instinct to stand together as one people.

We are a free country, but not a careless one.

We value individual liberty, but we also understand the importance of sticking together.

That balance was built deliberately, and it must be protected.

Our values do not sustain themselves.

They have to be defended.

They have to be passed on to the next generation.

It is a duty on all of us.

Whatever challenges Australia faces, I am confident that together we will meet them, just as Australians always have through our history.

It’s the story and values that I want to pass on to my own beautiful grandchildren.

That is why Australia Day matters.

It is our national day.

It should be marked with confidence and pride.

Not because our history is perfect, but because it is ours.

A story of effort, resilience, mistakes, learning and progress.

A story of a nation that has grown stronger by believing in fairness, democracy and shared responsibility.

As a mother and a grandmother, I think about what Australia will look like for my children and grandchildren.

They are lucky to be born into a future worth believing in and worth protecting.

But that future depends on the choices we make today. On whether we keep believing in hard work, in service, in unity, and in the idea that we are stronger together than we ever are apart.

As we cast our eyes up today we see our flag flying proudly above us, and across the country there will be many people waving flags of their own to celebrate our national day.

It fills me with immense pride to see our flag being flown proudly today out of all days.

There is no more powerful symbol that represents our shared values than the Australian flag.

Sadly, there are a few in our community who wilfully choose to desecrate this symbol, undermine these values and sow division and disrespect.

That’s not on and I will not stand for it.

In the Parliament last week, my team took a stand, and took action to make it a crime to burn the Australian flag.

We won’t let hate and division creep in.

I will always fight for and protect our national symbols.

This year especially, Australians deserve leadership that lifts us up, not voices that seek to divide us.

We should be proud of our country, confident in our values, and united in celebrating what brings us together rather than what pulls us apart.

From the ANZACs, to our diggers today, Australians have fought for freedom and a fair go since the very beginning of our nation.

That legacy deserves to be embraced and defended.

There is no more powerful symbol of that legacy than the Australian flag.

It represents our shared story, our democracy, and our commitment to each other.

It is not a symbol of exclusion, it is a symbol of belonging.

We are a good country.

From our biggest cities to our smallest country towns, this is the Australian story.

A people who believe in each other, who step up when it matters, and who know that our unity is our greatest strength.

On Australia Day, that is something worth celebrating.

And here in Corowa, arguably the birthplace of Federation, it feels especially right to say this.

Our future, like our past, will be shaped by Australians who believe in this nation, who care for their communities, and who are prepared to do their part.

That is why I love Australia.

Happy Australia Day.