Well thank you very much Mrs Turbayne, my parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I must confess that this is the first occasion in my life that I have conducted a citizenship ceremony and therefore, I'm harbouring a lot more nerves I suspect than may be harboured by any of the applicants for citizenship, so if I make any errors along the way you'll understand that perhaps, when I've conducted a few more, if I do, I might get a little better. But it's a very special citizenship ceremony because it's being held in the national capital on Australia Day, and I would like on behalf of all of us here today who are now and even more so in a few moments time, are your fellow Australians.
I would like to welcome, very warmly, and very openly, the men and women from different parts of the world, who've decided today to become Australian citizens. This country has a long tradition of immigration, it owes so much of its existence and its success to successive waves of immigration from different parts of the world, and as I look at the source countries on the list of citizens, I am reminded once again of the perpetuation of that tradition. You've come from countries, from Europe, from the Middle East, from Asia, from near and far, from two countries in particular that have recently involved very important democratic exercises, two new citizens from the Ukraine which has reaffirmed its very strong commitment to democracy, and a number of new citizens from Iraq who will be holding their first election at the weekend. But from wherever you've come, you are welcome. I invite you to embrace, if you haven't already done so, all of the opportunities and institutions of this country - choose to join the political party of your choice, or choose not to join any political party if that is your choice, and to take whatever attitude you like towards the party's and the institutions of this country. It is no requirement of Australian citizenship that you hold any particular point of view on any issue of the day. The only ask of all of us is that we give our first commitment to Australia and as Marjorie rightly noted, that nobody asks people to ever expunge from the corner of their heart a special affection for the country in which they were born. That is a natural human trait and it's not part of Australian citizenship and loyalty to Australia that you are asked to forget your heritage, or to forsake the things that you hold dear from the land of you birth so with those words can I say how delighted I am to have this opportunity in Australia's capital on Australia Day 2005 to conduct this citizenship ceremony and as a requirement of the Act I must now read the preamble to the Australian Citizenship Act of 1948:
Australian citizenship represents formal membership of the community of the Commonwealth of Australia and Australian citizenship is a common bond involving reciprocal rights and obligations uniting all Australians while respecting their diversity, and people granted Australian citizenship enjoy these rights, and undertake to accept these obligations by pledging loyalty to Australia and its people, and by sharing their democratic beliefs and by respecting their rights and liberties, and by upholding and obeying the laws of Australia.
I would now like to ask the candidates who have indicated that they wish to take the pledge number one - that is the oath, to stand and I think the words of the oath are available to you, and if you'd like to stand and join me in making the oath which is Pledge number one.
From this time forward under God and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect and whose laws I uphold and obey.
Thank you. I'd now like to invite those who are taking the affirmation that is Pledge number two, to stand and repeat the pledge after me.
From this time forward I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect and whose laws I will uphold and obey.
Thank you very much. Well I'd like to formally congratulate and welcome those who have taken the oath and affirmation, and I know it's a choice and a decision that none of you will regret, it will enrich your lives, and it will enrich the life of this country.
I am now going to have the distinct pleasure of presenting each new citizen with his or her certificate of Australian citizenship, and I'll invite Sir David Smith to read the names and if they come forward and the system works, the certificate will match the new citizen.
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