We are 28 million, we are one.
We gather under cloudless skies or scattered rain,
our cities shining beside rivers and oceans,
our towns stretching from sunrise to far horizon.
We have travelled here
on every tide and tailwind,
crossing continents, dreaming of new beginnings.
Some are shaped by salt spray and steel towers,
some by quiet towns and childhoods marked by laughter
rising into open air.
Our families speak more than 300 voices to the morning,
their memories captured in lullabies,
greetings carried over kitchen tables,
stories told in more than 167 Indigenous languages,
words as old as time,
and those brought by hope and necessity.
Among us, skin is painted in every tone,
hair in every shade under the sun –
from deep black to silver-white,
from coppery brown to golden bronze,
each face unique, every smile a welcome.
We find joy in difference –
from curry leaves and garlic sautéing in suburban kitchens,
to freshly caught fish grilled at beachside parks,
chapati shared at festivals,
and cold watermelon cut on blazing summer days.
Faith takes many paths here.
Some speak to G-d as YAWAH,
others call to Christ, to Allah, to ancestors or to none.
Each belief, each doubt,
is met with a nod of respect,
the understanding that what matters most
is the grace we extend to one another.
We honour our vast beginnings –
the custodians of land and water,
their voices teaching us care,
inviting us to listen, to learn, to walk gently.
We find unity in the everyday –
in cheers at stadiums on chilly evenings,
on trains filled with school uniforms and workers’ hopes,
in neighbours waving over fences,
in strangers returning a lost wallet
with nothing taken but a smile.
On this Australia Day,
let us not fold ourselves into labels or suspicion,
but cross the petty divisions.
Let us offer an outstretched hand instead of a closed fist,
a seat at the table instead of a skeptical glance.
For we are not just names on a census,
not simply backgrounds or suburbs.
We are teachers and carpenters,
we are engineers, nurses, bus drivers, storytellers –
all the threads of this vibrant tapestry.
Let us promise to listen:
To unlock the hard places in our hearts,
To ask before assuming,
To learn before judging,
Growing together in the warmth of curiosity.
Let us be brave enough to imagine
that every new neighbour is a possible friend,
that every accent is another verse
in the unfolding ballad of who we are.
Let us tell the world with our actions:
These are the shores where difference is welcome,
where hospitality is not a word but a practice,
where kindness is currency and decency is shared.
For though our ancestors and arrivals
travelled different roads to stand on this land,
though our faith and food and faces
are as varied as the coastline is long—
We are 28 million
and every heartbeat, every hope,
draws together.
We are one.
Happy #AustraliaDay everyone.
