It is my great pleasure to wish the Australian Vietnamese community a wonderful Lunar New Year, and peace, health and happiness for the months ahead.

This year ushers in the Year of the Pig, traditionally associated with diligence, compassion, and generosity. As you gather to welcome its arrival, I hope you feel uplifted by this moment of celebration.

Australia is one of the most successful multicultural nations on earth, and I pay tribute to the almost 300,000 people of Vietnamese heritage who call this country home.

Over the years, and through successive waves of immigration, Vietnamese migrants have worked hard, brought new ideas, and helped to shape our Australian identity and prosperity.

Furthermore, the Australian Vietnamese community contributes immensely to the bilateral ties we share with Vietnam, building bridges of friendship that underpin our mutual understanding and shared respect.

All Australians should cherish our diverse and harmonious society, and stand together in affirmation of the hard-won freedoms that allow us to live together in peace.

As the ‘Father of Federation’, Sir Henry Parkes, expressed more than a century ago, it is “all the fruits of the culture of the world” that give our nation strength.

With these thoughts in mind, and in a warm spirit of friendship, I wish everyone a prosperous and auspicious Lunar New Year.

The Hon Scott Morrison MP
Prime Minister of Australia