Australia Day is an opportunity to celebrate everything we've built together and to be optimistic for the future we can shape together.
It's a chance for all of us to reflect on how lucky we are to live in the greatest country on earth and to think about what we can do to make our nation even better in the years ahead.
We are a young nation, on an ancient continent. Nowhere on the planet can match the beauty of our environment, country that Aboriginal and Torres Islander people have cared for over 60,000 years, and offering all of us the privilege of sharing in the world's oldest continuous culture.
We are an old and trailblazing democracy and a world leader in free and fair elections. We have always been proud to set international standards on the rights of working people and the strength of our social safety net.
That combination of ambition and egalitarianism is what built national institutions like Medicare, an essential service and also an expression of what it means to be Australian. It's based on the simple, unshakeable principle that every one of us has an equal right to quality health care - no matter where we live or what we earn.
We treasure our freedoms and we honour those who have fought to defend them, the generations of Australians who have risked and lost their lives in the service of our country and the cause of peace. The Australia we celebrate together is their legacy.
Our modern nation is also the product of generations of migrants who have come here in search of a better life for their children. Their aspiration has made our country a better place and our multicultural society offers a family connection to every nation in the world.
In the years ahead, there will be new challenges to face, but it is our fundamental values, and our people's enduring qualities that will see Australia seize this moment and make it our own.
This is what we celebrate together on Australia Day: the strengths we have, the values we hold and the courage our people show, every day.
Our national story contains heartbreak and hardship, triumph and disaster, dark times and bright days. We belong to all of it, we've learnt from all of it. Above all, we know the best chapter is yet to be written.
With courage, kindness, a fair go for all and faith in each other, we can shape Australia's future together.
Happy Australia Day.