Wyndham council welcomed almost 190 new Australian citizens in a series of online citizenship ceremonies last week.
On Friday, September 17, the council officially marked Australian Citizenship Day.
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the day, which the federal government established in 2001 in response to a recommendation by the Australian Citizenship Council’s report titled Australian Citizenship for a New Century.
The date of September 17 was chosen as Australian Citizenship Day as it is the anniversary of the 1973 renaming of the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 to the Australian Citizenship Act 1948.
Wyndham council conducted 19 online citizenship ceremonies on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18.
A total of 187 residents from 27 different countries were represented across the two days, highlighting Wyndham’s cultural diversity.
Wyndham mayor Cr Adele Hegedich said Australian citizenship was “the common bond which unites us all”.
“Every year on this day, Australia welcomes thousands of new citizens in local communities across the nation,” Cr Hegedich said.
“Australian Citizenship Day is the perfect time to host an online citizenship ceremony and our commitment for our community’s multicultural diversity.”
The council’s welcoming city portfolio holder, Cr Jennie Barrera, said: “Citizenship ceremonies help bond our community together and help strengthen our social cohesion.
“In welcoming 187 new citizens, we recognise modern Australia has been shaped by migration, with nearly half of all Australians either born overseas or who have a parent who was born overseas.
“Congratulations to all our new Australian Citizens in Wyndham.”
See
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/celebrating-citizenship/australian-citizenship-day for more details.
