My family arrived as refugees, welcomed by a country that did not ask where we came from, what religion we followed, or what language we spoke. Australia simply opened its doors, gave us safety, opportunity, and the dignity of being treated as equals under the law.
For that, our family has been forever grateful.
Australia — and Australians — have long been a welcoming people. We built a society based on mutual respect, strong institutions, and a legal system that does not distinguish between citizens by race, creed, or origin. Long before “diversity” became a political slogan, Australia was already living it.
Has Australia been perfect? Of course not.
No country is. And I have spent much of my time criticising governments when they fall short. But criticism, when it comes from a place of wanting to improve, is very different from tearing a country down.
Measured against most of the world — past and present — Australia has done remarkably well.
We are prosperous, yes partly blessed with natural resources, but also because we have had generally sound governance, stable democracy, the rule of law, and a culture that rewards effort. Millions of migrants came here for one simple reason: this country works.
Yet each year, as Australia Day approaches, the noise grows louder.
We are told that we should be ashamed. That our national day is offensive. That modern Australians must atone for the sins of their ancestors.
I reject that completely.
No person today is responsible for what happened generations ago. And it makes no moral sense to demand that people who did not commit injustices should “pay” people who did not personally suffer them.
Justice must be individual, not inherited.
The same logic applies to the growing obsession with symbols. Australia has one flag — and it represents all Australians. The creation and promotion of separate flags for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people does not unite us. It suggests division. It implies that some Australians are not fully represented by the national flag.
One country. One people. One flag. Equal under the law.
That principle — equality before the law — is one of Australia’s greatest achievements. It is precisely what allowed migrants like my family to thrive, without special treatment, without quotas, without grievance politics.
Of course Indigenous Australians, like all Australians, deserve fairness, opportunity, and respect. But permanent grievance, permanent division, and permanent compensation will never heal anything. They only entrench resentment.
And for those who truly believe Australia is an irredeemably racist, oppressive, hopeless country, I have a simple suggestion: look around the world.
There are very few places that offer the freedoms, stability, prosperity and tolerance that Australians enjoy. If someone genuinely believes they would be happier elsewhere, they are free to go.
I, for one, will not apologise for loving this country.
Australia may not be perfect. But it is the best country for me.
And today, on Australia Day, I choose gratitude over grievance. Pride over resentment. Unity over division.
In 1968, a simple advertisement was shown celebrating Australia and proposing a national anthem. It reflected a country confident in itself, optimistic about its future, and proud of who it was becoming.
You can watch it here:
Perhaps it’s time we recovered a little of that spirit.
Happy Australia Day.
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