Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's been a cracking start to 2023, and I'd like to speak about Australia Day, a day that holds significance and importance for the majority of Australians. Australia Day is the day when we should all come together as Australians to celebrate and to recognise the great country we live in, our rich and diverse culture, the traditions and the diversity that we share, with 50 per cent of Australians either being born overseas or whose parents were born overseas. I had the privilege to attend two citizenship ceremonies on the day. At the first ceremony in Bracken Ridge we welcomed 60 new citizens. Special thanks must go to Bracken Ridge Scouts and the Maclean pipes and drums band for their contribution, as well as to Councillor Sandy Landers and her team for organising the event.

The second ceremony was at the Sandgate Town Hall, where another 30 people became Australians. The event included a special celebration for Indian Republic Day, and the Indian Council of Australia, Queensland did a fantastic job showcasing the multicultural contribution that Indians make to Australia. Indian Australians are well represented in my electorate of Petrie. At the two ceremonies 90 new citizens became Australians, joining 19,000 others on the day.

Finally, I spent time at the Bramble Bay Bowls Club in Woody Point for their Australia Day barbecue with traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers in attendance as well as everyone wearing their Australia Day gear, proudly flying the Australian national flag. It was a fantastic day.