Harmony Day video message – March 21

G’day, I’m Scott Morrison.

I’m the Minister for Social Services responsible for multicultural affairs.

This year marks the 15th year of Harmony Day and on March 21 we will celebrate this significant milestone.

Harmony Day acknowledges and celebrates our diversity as a nation but more significantly it acknowledges what binds us together and the values that we share as Australians from so many different backgrounds and experiences of Australian life.

In this centenary ANZAC year let’s let Harmony Day be a time to reflect on those values that have bound us together as a nation and built this country.

The values of our diggers, mateship, sacrifice, endurance and courage, on display from the ANZAC’s first landing at Gallipoli through to the service today in Afghanistan and Iraq and places all around the world.

Those who have come from many places around the world have also had to show all of those attributes and values to build the country we have today.

Australia is a place where it is a fair go for those who have a go, and so many people from so many backgrounds have done this over our history and built the incredible nation we live in today.

Our cohesion and our resilience as a community drawing together people from so many different backgrounds provides, I believe, the greatest defence against those who would seek to undermine our way of life and what we have all given so much to achieve for our country.

At a time of great global unrest and real domestic threats of terrorism and things of these natures it has been our success as a diverse nation to focus on what brings us together that has placed us in such a strong position at this very important time.

So let’s celebrate the safe and secure society that we enjoy here in Australia – this Harmony Day.

You know, in Australia every day is Harmony Day and on March 21 that is what we really celebrate.

Thank you and enjoy.