Support migrant centric journalism today and donate
Recently 20 people from seven Countries including from Japan, the United Kingdom, India and Korea became Australian citizens in a special ceremony in Burnie, Tasmania to launch Australian Citizenship Day 2010. Thousands of people across Australia will become Australian citizens in Citizenship Day celebrations.
A representative from the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) had the following to say:
"Australian Citizenship Day was introduced in 2001 as an opportunity for people to take pride in our citizenship and reflect on the meaning and importance of being Australian."
"Citizenship is the bond which unites us all in our culturally diverse nation. It symbolises our sense of belonging to the country where we have been born or have decided to make our home.
"Australian Citizenship Day celebrations provide an occasion for all of us to be proud of being part of this great nation. It is also a special day for our newest Australians to join our extended family at ceremonies around the country."
Some highlights from the Australian Citizenship day celebrations on 17 September 2010 include the following:
- About 3600 people from 118 countries will become Australian citizens in 69 ceremonies all over Australia as part of Australian citizenship day.
- There will be ceremonies by DIAC and Local Councils in cities and major city centres and towns throughout Australia.
- Ceremony venues will range from Adelaide's Town Hall to the Yalgoo Shire Council in Western Australia's Mid West region.
- The citizenship ceremony with the greatest number of people (223) becoming Australian citizens will be at Brimbank City Council in Victoria. One person will become an Australian citizen at Bombala Shire Council in New South Wales.
Australia needs new immigrants many of how eventually become Australian citizens. As mentioned in a recent news report without high levels of immigration the Australian economy will suffer greatly from skills shortages now and in the future.
