I want to begin by acknowledging two great Australians, Gough and Margaret Whitlam. The Chinese community - and the People's Republic - have no truer friends and I know Gough and Margaret are with us in spirit tonight.
I am a migrant.
I came here on a long journey with my family in search of a better life.
I found that better life - better than I could ever have imagined: a great education; a great job; and a humbling opportunity to serve our nation in public life.
But more than these things:
I found a home.
A place to belong.
A place to dig deep roots.
A place to bond with and people to bond to with.
To me that is the meaning of Australia Day.
Acceptance.
Commitment.
Mateship.
Belonging.
And in the history of this nation, few have such a sense of belonging as the Australian Chinese community.
We don't know the name of the first Chinese migrant to come to this land; what he did or when he died.
But we know for certain that from the 1820s onwards, the Chinese have been a proud part of this nation and the story of its building.
The Chinese were there in the long decades of striving and struggle:
On the farms and the gold fields.
The docks and the warehouses and the workshops.
The story is told in records and artefacts.
In temples and churches and stores that survive.
And in the Chinese headstones to be found in cemeteries across inland Australia.
There's even a bookmaker's ledger in Launceston showing Melbourne Cup bets written entirely in Chinese.
But friends,
We know the story most directly from the families who have treasured their Chinese identity down the generations, while retaining a fierce and abiding loyalty to this country.
The journey was not always easy.
As we know from the current floods and the recent drought, this country can be harsh and unforgiving.
It took remarkable courage to travel from a different culture and build a new future in a strange land.
For some, it was too hard.
I was touched by the story of Kwan Hong Kee, a businessman who came to Australia from China in 1885.
Despite high hopes, his career was beset by frustration and failure.
But just before he passed away, he wrote a memoir for his children and it is a work of great wisdom and deep humility.
At the end of the book, looking back over his life, he had this to say:
If you have good fortune, do not be proud, and if you have misfortune, do not be downhearted. Be diligent, and thrifty.
Look forward with courage. Do your best.
Yesterday, in my home town of Adelaide, in my own words, I called on our nation to look forward with courage as we overcome adversity. I called on the nation to make this Australia a celebration of and rededication to the great Australian values of mateship and a fair go. To Australians, who have joined hands in such tough times, my message is ‘don't let go'.
Here, tonight, I acknowledge that across our history the larrikin embrace of this nation was not always extended to the Chinese community.
But you never lost faith in the nation.
So much so that the Chinese community welcomed the advent of Federation with open arms, and sent one of its finest sons to Gallipoli, Billy Sing.
Culture, language, background - none of these determine our right to belong.
If you love this country, embrace its values and work hard for its future, you are Australian.
There is no other test.
There is no other bar.
Friends,
As we approach two centuries of Chinese settlement in Australia, we do so with pride and with satisfaction.
Today, the equalitarian embrace of this nation does extend to the Chinese community and we won't let go.
Instead, today, we warmly celebrate the Chinese community's growth in size and in influence: a population approaching 700,000; a sophisticated range of community services; and extraordinary success in the professions, the arts, media, sport, politics and academia.
It has been an incredible journey - a journey made all the more significant by Australia's renewed engagement with China, pioneered by Gough Whitlam in 1972 and nurtured by every Prime Minister - Labor and Coalition - in the four decades since.
My commitment to the Australia-China relationship is enduring and strong.
I welcome Ambassador Chen to his new post.
And look forward to visiting China in the months ahead.
I will do so conscious that this is a decisive decade for China and her place in the world.
Australia welcomes the emergence of China as the world's second-largest economy, and as an important partner in dealing with challenges such as global financial reform, climate change, poverty, food and energy supplies, world trade and regional security.
We are proud to be partners in her journey of progress and prosperity.
Central to that partnership is you - the Australian Chinese community - who form a special bridge of friendship and understanding.
For two centuries, you have been at the heart of the Australian story.
And so it is truly fitting that Chinese New Year and Australia Day fall so close together. Our celebrations and our stories belong together.
As this lunar New Year begins, I honour the Australian Chinese community and say thank you.
And to those born in the Year of the Rabbit, I offer my special good wishes.
Those born under the sign of the Rabbit are said to be articulate, talented and ambitious.
I was born in the Year of the Ox and we oxen, in turn, are said to be steadfast, confident and determined.
I am indeed determined.
Determined that in this year ahead, we will face the nation's challenges with courage and resolution together.
Restoring the cities and towns hit by floods.
Harnessing our economy's strength to build a society with fairness and opportunity for all. Ensuring demography is not destiny.
And friends,
We will succeed.
We'll succeed together. We'll stay together. We won't let go.
Joined by mateship, driven to deliver a fair go to all, we will be proud of our history even as we build a better and fairer future.
Our best days are yet to come.