‘You Bring Us the World’: Australia Welcomes Newest Citizens on Australia Day

A young boy waves an Australian flag during a rally for refugee rights outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 6, 2022. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Nineteen thousand immigrants from over 140 countries became Australians on Thursday at citizenship ceremonies around the country. 

Citizenship ceremonies across Australia hold great significance on Jan. 26, with a flagship ceremony in the capital overseen by the prime minister and governor-general.

One of those new Australians, Nashieli Garcia Alaniz, was among those whose pledge was heard by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra. 

Garcia Alaniz said she was pretty overwhelmed by all the dignitaries at the event, but having the Prime Minister of Australia grant her a citizenship certificate was a special moment. 

An ecologist, Garcia Alaniz, hopes to contribute her talent to protect the nation’s native animals.

“I feel honoured that a country like Australia opens its doors to welcome someone like me and people from all over the world,” she said in comments obtained by AAP.

“I’m super happy that I can participate in the country on a different level now, and I can’t wait to contribute to help protect this environment.” 

The flag raising ceremony at Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images)

With expertise in mammals, Garcia Alaniz has already contributed to Australia by helping with the conservation of the brush-tailed rock wallaby, an endangered species.

Among the new citizens were disability and community support workers, two astrologists, a pharmacist, an accountant and environmental research scientist. 

Albanese welcomed everyone participating in national ceremonies and said they each brought a ‘roll-call of skills” Australia needed.

“You bring us the world, and you bring us your drive, your passion, your talent and aspiration,” he said.

“I want you to know that you are now becoming citizens of a country where no matter where you live or who you worship, no matter who you love or what your last name is, you can write your own future.” 

Citizenship Ceremonies Not Immune To Cancel Culture

While citizenship ceremonies held on Australia Day carry great significance, it’s no longer compulsory for local councils to hold the events on Australia Day. 

“This is a pragmatic change in line with the government’s commitment to efficient processing of citizenship applications and timely ceremonies for new citizens,” said Andrew Girls, the immigration and citizenship minister.

Previously, under the Citizenship Ceremonies Code amended by the previous centre-right Liberal government, councils were required to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day on Jan. 26, and refusing to do so risked losing the authority to host citizenship ceremonies.

The change came after two Melbourne councils were stripped of the right to hold the ceremonies when they decided to cease having the event on Australia Day. 

In December, the Merri-bek council in Melbourne’s north became the third council in the city after two other inner-north Greens-led councils, Yarra and Darwin, to abolish the citizenship ceremonies on Jan. 26. The council would instead host a “day of mourning” event for Indigenous Australians starting in 2023.

The January date is the day when Captain Arthur Phillip’s First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove (now known as Circular Quay) and claimed Australia for the British Crown. It is perceived by the majority of Australians as a celebratory occasion where Australians commemorate the birth of their liberal country and democracy.

However, in recent years the day has become the focus of Indigenous rights activists who view the day as the start of an invasion of the homeland.

Protesters march past Old Parliament House to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy at part of an “invasion day” rally in Canberra, Thursday, January 26, 2023. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

But the push to abolish Australia Day has met with backlash from intellectuals who said it divides rather than unites the country.

Gabriel Moens, emeritus professor of law at the University of Queensland, wrote in a commentary on The Epoch Times that it’s part of a progressive movement driven by critical race theory (CRT).

“The infiltration of CRT into the curriculum of Australia’s higher education sector is often paired with the demonisation of Western civilisation and allegations of ethnocentrism,” he wrote.

“Also, statues and monuments of historical figures, who are deemed to have contributed to, or benefited from, racial discrimination, are dismantled or destroyed.”

AAP contributed to this article.